Criminal
by snheetah
Summary: A young woman thought that she had put the past behind her. However, with one fateful encounter at Pembroke, the past has come back to haunt her. Taken from her home, she has to deal with the Butcher, her past, and the survival of her two young sisters.
1. The Burning Chapel

**I don't own the Patriot**

**Sheesh, it's been a while since I wrote for this category even though I wrote only one story. Anyway, I want to retry doing a Tavington/OC story again and we'll see how it goes from there. Hope ya'll like it :D**

**Oh and please, if anyone has constructive criticism for the story, since it's been a while since I wrote one for the category, don't be shy and please write one! I want all the help I can get for this and thank you in advance. :D**

* * *

The sun's rays lingered in the glass window and into the bedroom of a twenty five year old girl. "Oh that sun," she sighed as she walked over to the window and covered it with the drapes. Even when she did that, the sun's rays had the ability to shine right through. She turned away from the window and walked over to her desk where she turned her attention over to a box that she kept. Her creamy fingers lingered over the lid of the box but she took a deep breath and opened the box.

As she eyed the contents of the box, she glared at what she saw. Her two fingers picked up a golden necklace that was hidden beneath the box and she looked at it. It was gold with a golden teardrop-like jewel that hung from her neck. She turned her attention back into the box and she clawed through the items until she found a gold band ring that was promised to her. _  
_

_How could he do this?_ she bitterly thought. All she wanted to do was to destroy these two pieces of jewels and erase him from her memory. _That no good traitor!_ She threw the necklace and the ring back into the box and closed it shut. The thought of the man that she had once loved was more than she could muster. She had hoped that she was going to start a new life with this man, the man that she had fallen deeply in love with but he had turned out to be nothing but a betrayer to her.

She was returned back to reality when she heard a crash downstairs. "What is it now?" she mumbled as she walked out of her bedroom and walked downstairs to the living room. She looked at her two youngest sisters who were standing on the floor and glaring at each other. "Anna, Alice," she said as she put her hands on her hips, "what happened?"

"Catherine, I was trying to sew the ripped dress of her doll but she wouldn't let me," Anna explained to her sister as Alice held tightly onto her doll as if Anna was going to perform surgery on it.

"NO!" Alice yelled as Anna took a couple of steps back and held her arms in the air in surrender.

Catherine put both of her hands onto her forehead. The one thing that she needed help on was handling her two youngest sisters. Anna was the middle child, who was only sixteen years of age, and Alice was the youngest, who was only seven years old and had the desire to play with her dolls. "Did you ask when you wanted to sew the dress, Anna?"

Anna rolled her eyes at her sister's question. What else was she supposed to do on a day like this? She wished she could outside but Catherine was so overprotective of the both of them.

Catherine couldn't help it. Their mother's life was cut short by a deadly illness and their father had died fighting for his country. Catherine had begged him not to go, for she had always hated wars and feared the worst for her father. She just wished that her nightmare hadn't come true.

Suddenly, Alice craned her head to the side as she ran over to the window. She pulled back the drapes and took a step back when she noticed a man mounted on a horse passing by. "Who are they?" she curiously asked.

Catherine walked over to the window and looked. She noticed a whole crowd of them trotting into Charlotte's Plantation with their horses and knocking into her neighbor's doors. When one of the men turned his horse towards her house, Catherine gasped as she flung the drapes over the window and looked at her two sister's in fright. "The British," she breathlessly said. She grabbed Alice's hand and pointed to the second floor of their home. "We need to hide upstairs," she said as she led her sister's to the second floor. "In my room quickly."

Once the girls were in the room, Catherine locked her bedroom door with a key and ordered her two sisters to hide in the closet, "and don't make a sound," she said.

Catherine walked over to the window and pulled back a drape to take a peek at what was happening. Why was every single British soldier gathering everyone at the church? Catherine's eyes widened when she noticed one of her good friends and her family being led into the church, unknown of what was about to happen to them.

Suddenly, the church was in flames as every single British soldier threw a burning object towards the church. Her hands flew over to her mouth as she stifled a cry. Tears flowed down her face when she saw her beloved church and friends set in flames. Mistakenly, the grabbed the drapes to support her weight but that was something that she shouldn't have done.

* * *

"Bordon," the colonel of the group nodded to one of his officers. As he was about to lead his group away from the town, his icy blue eyes looked up at the house whose drapes moved. The window was not opened to have caused the drapes to move, unless the owner of the house possessed a pet cat or dog. Whatever the case was, he had to make sure that whoever lived in that house deserved to die a traitor's death.

He mounted himself off his horse and proceeded over to the house. The other soldiers looked on expectantly as to what their colonel was up to. He placed a gloved hand onto the doorknob and turned it to discover the door was left open as if the owner had been expecting visitors. His eyes slowly scanned the living room, kitchen, and the study room but no one was there. Then he proceeded to the second floor of the house where he came upon three bedroom doors. However, his intuition stated to go to the door that was across the hall and he did so. He placed his hand onto the doorknob and it would not open.

_I have got you now_ he thought as he pulled out his pistol and pointed it to the door. He pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced through the keyhole of the door. Giving the door a kick with his black boot, he came upon a frightened young girl whose hands were over her dark curly hair that was neatly tied into a bun behind her head.

Catherine slowly raised her head and looked at the tall British man that stood by her doorway. His boots made their way towards her as his gloved hand roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the ground. "And who might you be?" he asked her.

Her lower lip quivered as she continued to stare at his ocean blue eyes. "C-Catherine S-Smith," she stuttered. She felt weak to the knees from the scare of the gun shot, the British solider, and the fear of her two sisters hiding in the closet. She prayed that they wouldn't make a sound.

"Is there anyone else in the house?" he asked her.

She continued to look at him in the eyes. "No," she answered and his hand tightened around her arm.

He looked at the ground and then at her once more. "What of Benjamin Martin and his rebels?" he asked and she shook her head, even though she had an idea of whom he was talking about. That answer did not seem to satisfy him. "I don't believe you," he hissed and pushed her towards the wall.

Catherine let out a yelp when her back made a rough contact with the wall. Her eyes traveled over to the closet and was thankful that her sisters did not even open the door to take a peek at what was happening to her. "What do you want with me?" her voice quivered.

_What _did he really want with her? He had gotten the information about Benjamin Martin from one of the villagers at the church so she was of no use to him. He pulled her away from the wall, turned her back to him, and tightly grabbed her arms. "Maybe a visit to the church would make you think twice about lying to me," he hissed as he dragged her out of the room.

Anna gasped as she grabbed her little sister's hand. How could someone be so cruel to take her sister to a burning church? She thought of getting out of the closet and running after her sister but her feet were frozen on the platform of the closet.

"What's going on?" Alice asked.

"Shh," Anna shushed her. She pressed her ear closer to the door to closet to pick up any noise but all she heard was silence. Her hand flew over to the doorknob and she opened the door just a crack to get a peek of the room but nobody was inside. "Catherine," she whispered as she ran over to the window and pulled the drapes away from the window.

Below the window, she saw her sister struggling in the arms of the British soldier.

* * *

Once the colonel stepped out of the house, the rest of the soldiers turned their attention upon him. "Fire the house," he ordered his soldiers. Even if this girl was not willing to tell him the truth, he had a feeling that she was definitely hiding someone in there.

"NO!" Catherine screamed before the soldiers could do anything. However, her plea fell upon deaf ears as one of the soldiers approached her house with his horse and threw a flaming object towards her home.

Anna quickly dodged away from the window as the object broke the window and fell onto the floor. Alice let out a terrified scream but Anna quickly scooped her up in her arms and the two sisters made their way out of the house. The fire quickly spread into the bedroom and made its way down the hallway but Anna picked up her speed and sped down the stairs before the fire could touch them. They were out of the house just in time before the fire engulfed every single room.

After seeing the two young girls running out of the house, the British soldier turned his head towards the young woman that he held in his arms. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue and slowly shook his head, "lying is considered a deadly sin," he said to her as he slowly took her to the burning church. Catherine could feel the hot flames on her face as he dragged her closer and closer.

"Catherine!" Anna was about to run to her sister but another soldier cut her path, "get out of my way!" she told him through gritted teeth but he would not budge. Alice wrapped herself around Anna's arms and buried her face on her sister's shoulder to avoid the horrible scene happening to them.

The heat from the flames got hotter and hotter. She feared that he was going to swing her into the fire and she began to tremble. "No please!" she yelled and began to resist. The screaming from within the church got louder and louder and her screams increased with every inch he took. "No, no, no! I am telling you the truth! I know nothing of the rebel army!"

"Colonel Tavington, wait!" a voice behind them yelled and the soldier, named Colonel William Tavington, stopped his approach towards the burning church. He turned around with Catherine and saw one of his officers approaching him. "You cannot kill her," he said.

"Did you not state minutes ago, Captain Wilkins, that 'those who stand against England deserve to die a traitor's death?'" Tavington asked the soldier, named Captain James Wilkins.

Wilkins looked at Catherine and then at Tavington. "She could be of good use," he said before Tavington changed his mind, "she knows about the Martin family just as I do, probably even more than I."

Catherine felt his hands gradually release her arms. "We shall see, Captain," Tavington said as he pushed Catherine towards him. "Tie her wrists and carry her on your horse," he ordered and walked away from Wilkins and Catherine. Another soldier walked over to Wilkins, handing him a rope. Wilkins took the rope and tied it around Catherine's wrists.

Once Tavington mounted himself on his horse, one of the soldiers asked, "what should we do with them?" Tavington turned his head and looked at Anna and Alice. His first thought was to murder them. After all, they were the supports of the rebel army. However, what if they could serve a purpose for their mission.

"Tie their wrists and take them with us," Tavington ordered.

Catherine let out a sigh of relief. Even though they were being taken, Catherine did not want to be away from her two little sisters. "Come," she heard Wilkins's soft voice make its way to her ears. Catherine resisted the urge to give a glare at Wilkins so she kept her focus on her two sisters, hoping that no more harm would come towards them.

The three sisters were mounted on the horses and they strode away with the Green Dragoons.

Catherine turned her head and looked at the burning church one last time. A tear escaped from her eyes streaked down her cheeks.


	2. The Night Fight

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! I am glad that you are enjoying the story. Oh good question! However, it will be revealed soon. Much, much soon :)**

* * *

The sun gradually began to set into the distance as a group of British soldiers and Dragoons headed to their camp. Some of the Green Dragoons retired for the night in the woods and Catherine, Anna, and Alice were to remain with them. Once they arrived into the woods, the Dragoons began to set up their temporary camp while others hunted for firewood.

James Wilkins jumped off his horse and looked up at Catherine, who had a dazed look on her face. Her mind kept replaying the scene where she was in close contact with death and she kept hearing the painful screams within the burning church. He held out a gloved hand towards her, to help her off the horse, but she made no movement. "Catherine," he softly said but she made no answer to him. When he reached forward to grab her tied hands, Catherine moved them out of the way. That one touch bought her back to reality and she almost let out a loud gasp. She turned her head to the left and right to check her surroundings but all she saw was slight darkness. Suddenly, that darkness took over her eyes and she fell forwards from the horse. On instinct, Wilkins reached forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Catherine!" Anna yelled as she was about to run over to her sister but was held back by a soldier, "let go of me!" she snapped at him, "that's my sister!" Alice hid her eyes behind her tied wrists and buried her face into Anna's shoulder.

Having heard the commotion, Tavington turned around and marched over to Wilkins who was doing his best to wake up Catherine. "What happened to her?" he asked.

"She seemed to have fainted," Wilkins answered and touched her pale complexion with the back of his hand, "we need some water," he said as he looked up at Tavington, as if he was going to go and fetch it for him.

"Why by all means Captain," Tavington answered, "there's a creek flowing right behind me."

Wilkins gently laid Catherine's body to the ground, reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a small tin cup. He ran over to the creek and dipped the cup into the water. Then he walked over to Catherine's body and knelt to the ground. Taking off his black leather gloves, he dipped his hand into the water and sprinkled some water onto her face.

Catherine's eyes flinched each time the water drops hit her face. She slowly moved her head from side to side and her eyes fluttered open. "Are you alright?" Wilkins asked and put his hand on her back to help her sit up.

Tavington rolled his eyes at Wilkins for his kindness.

Catherine looked at her tied wrists, then at the two Green Dragoons that stood to her left and right, and then at her two captured sisters. That's when she finally figured that she was not safe anymore but in the hands of the British. She tried to get up on her feet but Wilkins softly grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet.

"My, my, my Captain Wilkins," Tavington spoke in an almost teasing tone of voice, "aren't you being quite a gentleman tonight."

Catherine took a deep breath when she heard that name. She took a peek out of her corner of her eye and noticed his hand wrapped around her arm. "Release me," she spoke in a hoarse voice. When he didn't react, Catherine dared to look at him straight in the eyes and yell, "release me!" and with that order, she harshly shook his hand off her.

Witnessing this sort of behavior, Tavington walked closer to her but remained a mere inch away. Catherine continued to stare at the ground until his black boots blocked the spot that she was looking at. Before she could look up, Tavington's gloved hand grabbed her chin and jerked up her head so she looked at him straight in those icy, cold blue eyes. "Now Ms. Smith," he said in a dangerous but soft voice, "I will not tolerate this sort of attitude towards my army. I advise that you change it, or I might just do it for you." With that, he released her chin and walked away from her.

Catherine took a deep, shaky breath and looked down at the ground again. "I would like to be with my sisters," she spoke more to Wilkins than to the ground. "If you could be so kind, please let me go over to them."

Wilkins released her wrists from the rope and was about to grab her arm once more. "I am capable of walking," she swallowed and was led over to Anna and Alice. With their wrists also released, the two young sisters ran over to Catherine and hugged her.

"Catherine I'm scared," Alice clung tightly onto her sister and cried into her shoulder.

Catherine ran her hand through Alice's light brown hair. "I am scared too," she whispered to her but if they even tried to escape, they would get killed and she did not want that to happen to any of her sisters. "We'll get through this," she said to both Alice and Anna, "we will." However, she was not sure if they were to make it out of this situation alive.

* * *

Hours passed and some of the soldiers retreated into their tent while one soldier volunteered to do a night patrol if any of the rebels were to ambush them. Catherine and her two sisters were gathered at the burning firewood while Alice slept on her lap and Anna stirred in her sleep. Catherine stared at the fire's dancing flames, relieving the same event that had happened hours ago. How could a man be so cruel and burn a holy building filled with people that she had known, people that she had been good friends with? She couldn't sleep after what had happened but she was amazed at how her two sisters were able to sleep after what had happened.

Wilkins, who was on night patrol, turned his head and looked at Catherine whose back was facing him. He night air was cool so he walked over to his horse, reached in his saddle bag and pulled out a green blanket. He approached her and placed the blanket around her shoulders. Catherine made a little jump and she turned her head and saw him standing there. Her expression turned from fright to coldness when he did that. She turned her head back to the fire and stared at it, hoping for him to vanish into thin air.

He had expected that from her and he knew well enough that she would never forgive him after what he had done. "Would you like anything else?" he asked.

"I would like my home, my life, and my friends back," she spoke as she turned her head and looked at him, "and for you to get out of my sight!" she spat and looked back at the fire flames.

"Look," he began, "if I had the choice I-" Wilkins spoke but was interrupted by Catherine's immediate scoff and response when she turned around and looked at him. She took Alice's head in her hands and gently laid her on the ground and got up from her sitting position.

She walked up to Wilkins and glared at him. "What do you mean by if you had the choice?" she hissed at him. "I don't want your stupid reasoning. I saw that you were the one that threw the torch towards the church and killed all those innocent people! One of them was a friend of mine and you killed her!" her voice got louder as she spoke. "You killed her!" her hands formed into fists and she beat them upon Wilkins's chest.

Her grabbed her wrists before she could deliver another blow and tried to pull her close to him. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a strong push. "Don't you dare touch me!" she yelled.

The yell throughout the woods and Anna jerked into a sitting position. She turned her head and saw Catherine standing a couple of feet away from Wilkins. "Catherine?" Anna sleepily asked as she rubbed her eyes with her hand.

"It's alright Anna, just go back to sleep," Catherine absently said for she wanted to deal with the man that stood in front of her.

However, Anna adjusted herself and got a better look at what was happening between her sister and Wilkins. Anna vaguely remembered who he was. He had visited Pembroke a couple of times to be with Catherine but then he stopped visiting them and ever since, Catherine had been torn.

After Catherine had stopped talking, Wilkins took his turn to speak. "I am just trying to help you," he said.

"I don't need your help," Catherine stubbornly indicated by folding her arms across her chest, "I might be a woman but I am capable of taking care of myself. If something happens to my sisters, and help me God, it will be on your head!" On that note, she turned on her heel and walked towards the fire. She took the green blanket and was about to throw it at him but instead, she covered Alice's small body with it.

After Wilkins went back to his night patrol, Anna crawled over to her sister and touched her arm. "Are you alright?" she asked in a concerned voice.

How could she be alright? She was shaking from everything that had happened to her in the past and the present. Catherine let out a sigh and ran her hands over her eyes. Contrary to her emotions, she looked at Anna with a smile and played with her hair. "I am fine."

Anna, however, did not believe her.


	3. A Sight for Sore Eyes

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! I am not a huge fan of Wilkins after he turned his back on the country, but yet I did feel bad for him and I couldn't agree with you more. It is either obey or get killed if you're part of the Green Dragoons. Good to hear that I am keeping Tavington in character. While writing it, I thought he was a little out of character there. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Days had passed ever since Gabriel Martin had married Anne Howard. Each day that passed after their departure, he missed her more and he wished for this war to end soon just so he could be with her. However, to his relief, and before the militia were to go to war with the British, they were going to return to Pembroke to visit their families and Gabriel couldn't be more happy. As he was riding his horse next to his father, he fantasized running into Anne's arms, hugging and kissing her as much as he could.

His fantasy was bought to a sudden halt when he noticed black smoke escaping into the atmosphere. Gabriel turned his head and looked at his father, Benjamin Martin, with a frightened look as the militia headed into the town, only to come upon a church and a home that was burned to the ground. His intuition told him that this was the work of the Green Dragoons. Jumping off his horse, he ran into the Howard's home and yelled, "Anne!" No answer. "Mr. and Mrs. Howard!" No answer.

Pembroke had turned into a ghost town. Reverend Oliver was in tears when he saw the town's beloved church burning. "Where is everybody?" Gabriel yelled as he walked out of the house.

When Gabriel asked that, Benjamin turned his head and looked at the church's burnt door and noticed it's handles that was wrapped with a locked chain. That implied to Benjamin that every single resident was trapped in the church and murdered by the fire. However, their deaths would not go in vain but they would be remembered. He turned and looked at his militiamen. "Everyone," his voice rang through the hushed town, "we have come upon a terrifying sight, but this will never be forgotten."

"We have to remember the victims," Reverend Oliver said, "we have to make graves of every family that lived here."

Benjamin sadly nodded his head. Then, him and his militiamen got to work as each man-made white crosses for their families. Some even went into their homes to find an object to put on the cross for remembrance, while others dug into the Earth to bury any bodies.

Meanwhile, Benjamin and some other men went through the remains of the church to find the bodies. To their dismay, all the bodies had been burned to ashes. Benjamin looked to the ground as his eyes caught a recognizable object. He scooped the object in his hand and noticed that it was the same necklace that he had given to Anne when she married Gabriel. He looked up and noticed a window from the church that the fire had not burnt. He wondered if any of the residents had noticed that the window was not jammed when they were still alive.

Before he could continue his search, Major Jean Villeneuve approached him with a group of militia men behind him. Benjamin noticed that something trouble him but before he could ask, Jean said, "Gabriel is gone."

Without giving it another thought, Benjamin jumped on his horse and rode away from the town. The rest of the militiamen stood their ground for a mere second but they jumped on their horses and followed Benjamin.

* * *

Gabriel rode through the Earth as quickly as he could. While his father and the rest of the militiamen were digging through the remains of the church, Gabriel had quickly gathered a couple of the militiamen to help him kill every single one of the Green Dragoons that were responsible for the deaths of the residents of Pembroke but mostly the death of Anne. He looked ahead of him and watched out for any hoof prints that were stamped into the damp Earth.

Revenge was the only thought in his mind. Even if they were successful at killing them off, he knew that would not bring Anne back. But he was not going to let their actions go unpunished. And their punishment was death!

* * *

Catherine felt very fatigued. She had not received much sleep last night due to the fact that she looked after her sisters and made sure that none of the Dragoons bothered them. When she woke up, she noticed that Wilkins was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that he had left extra early to go to another British camp, but being with these other men that she did not know made her feel unsafe.

"Alice don't go so far," Catherine whispered to the young one as she noticed a bird perched on a tree branch.

"Oh come on," Anna said, "she is not going to run away."

Catherine turned her head and looked at her sister with wide eyes. "Anna," she said as she adjusted herself and looked at her straight in the eyes, "do you understand the predicament that we are in? You have to watch what you say around these men."

Anna let out a scoff and shook her off. "No one tells me what to do," Anna said and turned her head away from her sister. _Toughen up _she wanted to say to her sister but thought best not to. She didn't want to start another brawl with her sister, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a bunch of men that they considered enemies.

"Alice," Catherine softly called when she saw her sister walk around the tree trunk to get a better look at the bird. She got up from the ground and walked over to her little sister where she took her by the arm and whispered in her ear. "Don't wander off," she scolded her and bought her over to where Anna was sitting.

Anna shook her head and looked at Alice. "It's okay Alice," she spoke, "I'll play with you."

The entrance of the tent flew open and Catherine raised her head to look at who it was. Her stomach flipped when her brown eyes locked with his icy blue eyes. They stood looking at each other for mere few seconds but Catherine eyed him from head to toe. From his brown shoulder-length hair, to his cold eyes, to his front open shirt, those tight black breeches, and boots.

Anna knitted her eyebrows when she noticed at whom her sister was staring at. "It's not polite to stare Catherine," she bitterly said and turned her attention back to Alice. "Especially to the enemy," she muttered.

Tavington smirked at the young girl's words towards her sister. When he noticed her mouth moving he walked over to Anna, grabbed her pale cheeks with his hand, and turned her head so she looked straight at him. Alice let out a small gasp but he discarded her reaction. "Even though I couldn't agree with you more," he sarcastically said, "I advise you to keep the side comments to yourself."

Catherine quickly ran over to him and touched his arm. "Please," she pleaded, "don't hurt her."

Tavington released Anna's cheeks and turned his eyes to Catherine. "Then I advise you to teach your sister here some manners. She might find her tongue chopped off one day." With that, he walked over to the creek to groom himself.

After he was gone, Catherine knelt to the ground and looked at Anna. "Look," she spoke in a stern voice, "I am angry as you are that we are caught but please, you have to watch your attitude."

Anna rolled her eyes over to her sister. "Look, if I wanted a conscience I'll turn to you, but right now I advise you to not bother telling me what to do."

Catherine let out an exasperated sigh. Why was her sister being so hard on her? It wasn't her fault that they were caught. So why was Anna being so pig-headed? Catherine's ears suddenly perked up when she heard loud hoof steps coming closer to them. She looked ahead of her and saw a group of militiamen on their horses.

"To arm, to arms!" a Green Dragoon, Bordon, yelled as he caught the attention of the soldiers.

"Great, war time," Anna mumbled but Catherine gathered her two sisters and quickly jumped away from the battlefield before anyone started to fire.

"We have to hide somewhere," Catherine whispered to her two sisters, "we have to hide until the coast is clear. Anna, you take Alice and hide somewhere into the bushes. I will meet up with you two." Anna grabbed Alice and they headed off in once direction while Catherine ran into another direction.

"Charge!" Gabriel yelled and his horse charged towards the Green Dragoons. A couple of militiamen ran over to the Dragoons and began to shoot at them.

Anna whipped around when she recognized that voice. It was none other than Gabriel Martin, the boy that she had been in contact with one time when they were in Charleston. Catherine had attended the General Assembly and had stayed with Anne Howard during the night. Anna had caught sight of Gabriel but she was too busy speaking to Thomas Martin, whom she found was related to Gabriel.

"Anna come on!" Alice pulled on her sister's arm. Anna shook her head and ran deeper into the forest. Once they found a thicket of bushes they hid in there and waited for their sister to come.

* * *

Back to the battlefield a majority of the Green Dragoons were dead as well as some of the militiamen. Gabriel pulled out a knife that was plunged into a fallen Green Dragoon and approached Tavington's body that was resting on the ground. Gabriel had shot him with a single bullet but he wanted to make sure that he was dead. He held the knife mid air and was about to plunge the dagger into Tavington's back.

"Ahhhh!" Tavington yelled as he whipped around with his sword and stabbed Gabriel straight in the abdomen.

* * *

Anna gasped when she heard the yell. Before her curiosity got the better of her, she lowered herself to the ground when she heard footsteps running through the forest.

Alice looked through the leaves of the shrub and noticed the same black boots stopping in front of them. She turned around and opened her mouth to whisper at her sister but Anna gently put her hand over her mouth to quiet her. Anna felt herself quietly panting but she tried to stay as quiet as she could. She closed her mouth but could feel her heart palpitating against her sternum. She feared that her heartbeat was loud enough for him to hear.

Tavington looked at his surroundings. There was no movement or a scatter of footsteps to be heard but he knew that these girls were hiding somewhere within the forest. He would have started a search for the girls, if he was not wounded and that Benjamin's militia might come for the son that he had just stabbed.

*CRACK*

He quickly turned his head over to a tree and pointed his gun at it while keeping another hand on the wound. "Come out!" he called to the tree, "you cannot hide for long." When no one appeared, he pulled the trigger on his pistol and the bullet flew straight at the tree and chipped off small pieces of wood. Anna pushed her hand towards Alice's face who had already started to weep.

Suddenly, a woman's shoe appeared from behind the tree and Catherine stepped away from the tree in surrender. Anna was shocked to see that they were hiding in the same section of the forest. She had to urge to push that Green Dragoon to the ground, grab his pistol, and shoot him but her knees were glued to the ground.

_That's right _Tavington smirked when Catherine slowly came out from behind the tree. _Nice and slow_. He noticed that she always kept her eyes to the ground when she was around him. _Well, good_ he thought. _She knows with whom she is dealing with_. Without lowering his pistol, he walked over to the young woman. "That was very foolish of you to run away like that," his smooth silky voice slithered to her ears, "you are giving me the choice to kill you here...right now."

Anna hugged Alice close to her body as they surveyed the scene that was happening.

Catherine made no response but kept her eyes glued to the ground. "Didn't your parents teach you to look at the person who is talking to you?" he asked her, and just as she feared, Catherine looked up at him. "That's a good girl," he spoke and started to lower his pistol.

"What do you want with me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"That answer is simple really," he said, "a good number of the rebels have been killed and you, as well as your sisters, are of no use to me anymore. Well, you were no use to me since yesterday for I thought Wilkins was going to extract some information out of you. However, now that I found you I will leave you with two options," she saw his lips tilt into a smile and his blue eyes started to shine, "you can come with me and your sisters will be left alone or," he looked at her straight in the eyes, "I kill both you and your sisters."

Anna shook her head when she heard those two choices. _That bastard_! she wanted to scream at him.

When Catherine didn't say anything, Tavington rolled his eyes at her. "You are testing my patience," he told her, "make your choice...now!" he yelled and that startled Catherine to give him the answer.

"Y-yes," she gasped.

He cocked an eyebrow, "yes what?"

"Yes, I'll come with you."

He smiled and walked over to her. He roughly grabbed her arm and the two of them ran deeper into the forest and out of sight. Anna craned her neck to check if the coast was clear. She carried Alice over the bushes and set her feet to the ground. "What's going to happen to Catherine?" she asked her sisters.

"I don't know," Anna answered her, but instead of running after her sister, she ran back to where they were set for camp last night. When they arrived, Anna noticed Gabriel's body as his body fought with the pain that he had endured. Anna ran over to him and knelt to the ground. "Oh my God Gabriel," she whispered when she noticed the sword's puncture wound. "Alice," she turned her head to her sisters, "go to that horse and grab that saddle bag," she ordered and her sister did as she was told.

Anna unbuttoned Gabriel's coat and ripped open the white shirt underneath. She gasped when she noticed how deep the wound as and how much blood he was losing. She turned her eyes and noticed that his face was slowly turning pale as more blood escaped from the wound. When Alice arrived with the saddle bag, Anna grabbed it and clawed through the items that were in there. She pulled out a bottle of brandy that this particular soldier carried with him. She crawled over to a soldier's dead body and ripped a long piece of fabric and dipped it in the brandy.

"This is going to sting!" she said and wiped the wound with the piece of garment. Gabriel hissed when the alcohol made contact with his wound. He dug his nails into the Earth when the burning sensation increased. "One more time," Anna spoke and wiped away the blood that continued to flow out. "Damn it," she whispered. If only she knew a way to stop the blood.

Ripping another piece of fabric, she folded it a couple of times and applied some pressure on his wound. She grabbed his hand on put it on top of the folded fabric. "Keep your hand here and apply as much pressure as you can. I'll be back," she said as she crawled over to the body of a dead soldier. She unbuttoned the soldier's overcoat and ripped the ruffles from the white shirt.

She crawled back to Gabriel and slightly moving his hand away from the soaked fabric, she wrapped the white fabric around his abdomen. More blood began to stain the white fabric so she kept wrapping Gabriel's abdomen with white fabric until she didn't see anymore blood seeping out. Even though the blood had slightly stopped, Gabriel's face was as pale as a ghost.

"Come here," Anna said and she placed her hand under Gabriel's head and gently lifted him off the ground. She grabbed the bottle of brandy and held it close to his lips. "Drink some, it will soothe the pain."

Even though Gabriel had never drank such a beverage in his life, he allowed himself to take a drink. When he did, the alcoholic drink burned his throat when he swallowed it and tears formed into his eyes from the strong taste.

Anna smiled when she noticed a pink pigment making its way to Gabriel's face. "How do you feel now?" she asked him.

"Like hell," he mumbled.

Suddenly, the two teens looked up when they heard hoof steps heading towards them. It was the militiamen and Benjamin Martin was among the group. The man quickly jumped off his horse and ran to his son. "What were you thinking?!" he yelled, angry and happy at the same time that he son was alive and nearly well.

Some of the militiamen jumped off their horses and took a quick scan of the forest filled with dead British soldiers and militiamen. "Damn," one of them whispered when he looked at the sight.

"I'm sorry father," Gabriel apologized, "but I couldn't let them live!"

When he said that, Benjamin couldn't help but think of himself. Ever since his son, Thomas, was killed right in front of him all he ever wanted to do was to kill any British soldier that stood in his way, especially Tavington. Oh, how he loathed that man. "It's okay, it's okay," he quickly breathed, "you're alright." He turned his head and looked at the sixteen year old girl with his son's blood on her hands. From her bloodied hands, he assumed that she was the one that helped him. "Thank you, thank you so much," he had the urge to grab her into his arms and hug her.

"It's the least I can do sir," Anna said.

Benjamin helped his son to his feet and sent him over to his militiamen. Then he turned his attention to Anna. "Who are you and what are you doing with the British?"

"My name is Anna Smith and this is my sister Alice," she introduced herself as well as her sibling, "we live in Pembroke, or should I say, lived in Pembroke."

_That burning house must have belonged to these girls then _he thought.

"You see, when the Green Dragoons came to Pembroke, they ordered everyone to the church. My older sister, Catherine told us to hide inside the house until it was safe but we were capture and bought here," she explained.

"Where is your sister now?" Benjamin asked.

Anna looked up at him, "Colonel Tavington has her."


	4. Obedience Hurts

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Yup, Gabriel will be alive here, hopefully. As for Anna, well as you can see she tends to be very sarcastic and doesn't like it how Catherine is so, for a lack of a better word, frightened of everything. ****YES! YES, YES, YES! I saw that scene too! Him touching those flowers and saying "Beautiful country. Everything grows here." And then Wilkins is there looking at him (Didn't noticed it was him when I recently saw it). For some reason to me, Tavington looked a little teary-eyed but I could be wrong. Then you hear a scream in the distance and that ruined everything. Anyways, enjoy the chapter :D**

**Guest: Thank you for the review, I will try my best to update quickly**

* * *

A whimper escaped her lips when he gave a her wrist a sharp tug. "Keep up will you," he hissed when she began to lag behind. His sudden pull caused her shoes to stagger through the Earth and lose their footing. She lost her balance and her white dress made contact with the dirty ground. Her knees throbbed once they hit the ground but before she could bring herself to her feet he pulled her from the ground as if she was just a rag doll. "Can you not walk?" he gruffly asked as he pulled her close to him.

Her body made contact with his but she quickly took back a couple of steps. His grip tightened around her wrist as if she was planning on running away. "I-I'm sorry," she mumbled and avoided looking at him.

His gloved hand slithered to her chin and he grabbed it and turned her head and look at him in the eyes. "You will look at me when I speak to you," he told her.

She nodded her head while looking in his eyes. She wished she could avoid staring at him, but she could sense that he was a dangerous man. Sensing that they were done speaking to one another, she slowly turned her head and looked away from him but he grabbed her chin once more and made her look at him. "I am not through with you yet."

Catherine's heart pounded against her chest. "N-no please," her voice shook as she spoke, fearing that he might make some sort of disgusting advances towards her.

His lips tilted into a small smile when she said that. His intuition told him that she would say something like that but he held her against one threat that would make her comply to his needs. From her chin, his gloved hand snaked over to the back of her neck and he gently caressed it. His other hand released her wrist and he made his way around her until both of his hands rested upon her shoulders. "Do not forget," he whispered in her ear, enough to give her goosebumps, "I will find your sisters and shoot them in front of your very eyes if you don't do as your told."

Catherine's hands started to shake but she quickly balled them into fists. Her eyes started to fill with water but she quickly batted her eyes to forbid her tears to streak down her cheeks. Looking up to the blue sky, she suddenly shook her head. "Just stay away from my sisters," she stated in a hoarse voice.

His hand squeezed the back of her neck when she said that, "oh I will," he said in a low voice, "as long as you do as you are told."

Before she could respond, he grabbed her wrist once more and they disappeared deeper into the woods. The wound that Gabriel gave him was starting to sear and he had to get to the British infantry as soon as possible to take care of the wound.

* * *

In the woods, Anna was helping the militiamen bury the lives that were lost in the battle. After she had helped some militiamen dig up a hole, a body was gently laid inside the Earth and filled back up with dirt. The militiamen took off their hats and bowed their heads to respect the loss of life and the actions of a very brave soldier.

Anna turned her head and looked at Gabriel, who had refused to listen to his father orders to rest and was helping other militiamen bury the other bodies. She noticed the he kept on grimacing whenever he lowered himself to the ground and when he stood up. After he was finished burying the last body in the Earth, she walked over to him. "You do need to be careful with that wound," she advised him as if she was specialized in medicine.

Gabriel grimaced once more but he just nodded and gently placed his hand upon the wound. He expectantly looked up when his father walked over to him. He could sense that he was not in such a good mood by the stressed look on his face and the quickness in his steps. "Gabriel," he spoke in a voice that Gabriel knew he should be ready to defend himself. "I need you to take these two sisters to Shanty Town."

Anna cocked her head to the side when he said that. "Shanty Town?" she echoed the place, "this is the first time I heard of it. We don't even have any family members there."

"I am going to put you under the care of my sister-in-law," Benjamin told her, "I can guarantee that you and your sister will be safe there until this war is over." Then he turned his blue eyes at his son, "and I want you to stay there."

Gabriel was about to protest but Benjamin held his hand in the air. "Gabriel," he spoke, "I already lost one son and I was about to lose you too. Please, don't make it harder than it already is."

"But Father," Gabriel protested but Benjamin did not want to hear any of his protests about an event that could easily take away his life. Gabriel's shoulder's slouched when his father dismissed his plea. He knew that his father was worried, but he had a duty to do. He couldn't just be pulled from his position the way his father was doing.

Anna grabbed his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. "It's for the better," she whispered.

_The better for what? To let the British win? _Gabriel bitterly thought but he complied to his father's demands. Holding onto his saddlebag, he helped Anna and Alice onto his horse and them back to Shanty Town.

* * *

From all the running that they had done, Catherine was exhausted. Her legs were tired, her hair was a disheveled mess, and her face and dress was covered in dirt. The two of them had arrived at a British infantry and many British soldiers gawked at them. "In here," Tavington said and led her inside a tent. In the tent, there were a couple of Green Dragoons but Tavington quickly dismissed them by having one of them fetch a doctor.

The Dragoons complied to his wishes and they left the tent by turning their heads and giving Catherine a quick glance and muttering within one another. _This is just perfect _Catherine thought. Stuck in a tent, with an army that was considered the enemy, with the man that had the ability to give anyone nightmares, and having no one else but herself to look out for. She quickly grabbed her hands to stop them from shaking and tried to remain as calm as she could.

Tavington sensed her distress and that made him feel potent in this situation. He turned his head and surveyed her imagine, from her dirty face to her feet. "You will need a change of clothes," he commented, "we cannot have a dirty girl in our infantry, now can we?" he asked and turned his eyes on her.

"No," she obediently shook her head. She hated being so obedient but if she wasn't, she was risking her sisters' lives.

_Good _he thought _she's an obedient one_. Having this thought in mind, he knew that it would be easy to take some advantage of her. After all, it had been a long time since he had been in a physical contact with a woman. Turning himself to her, he began to approach her. On instinct, she took a step back with each step that he approached her.

"Now, now," he gently said, "remember the lives of your sisters depends on you. It would be a shame to see them get killed just because their sister could not be so obedient."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Catherine stood her ground and balled her hands into fists. Keeping one hand on the wound, he used his other free hand and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Such beautiful skin," he commented, "it is quite a shame that you are a supporter of the rebel army."

"It shows how patriotic I am," she spoke without thinking.

"Is that so?" he asked her. His hand made its way over to the back of her neck and he gave it a tight squeeze, "how patriotic is a woman like you who would cower in fear and not face the consequences like those other patriots at Pembroke?" He pulled her close to him but her body was only mere inches away from his, "I do not see you holding a gun and fighting so don't you dare say that you are patriotic."

"But it's what I believe in," she said, a little irritated, "and no one can change my mind. Especially you."

He released her neck but before she could react, he raised the back of his hand and bought it upon the side of her face just below the eye. She let out a gasp when he struck her and she found herself on the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut but the pain increased with any facial movement that she did. Tavington towered over her but he bent to the ground, gently grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her to her feet. At this moment, Catherine wouldn't look at him but he grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at him.

"One thing that I will not accept from you is attitude," he simply said and then he released her.

The tent flap swiftly opened and a doctor walked in to take care of the wound that Tavington was suffering from. Catherine watched as the doctor simply removed the bullet that was resting within his skin and wrap the wound with a bandage. As the doctor was nearly finished tending the Tavington, the tent flap opened and Cornwallis himself walked inside the tent, followed by his second-in-command man named Charles O'Hara. The two men gawked at Catherine, for they had not expected a woman to be in a tent with a Green Dragoon.

"Colonel what is the meaning of this?" Cornwallis demanded as he turned his angry eyes at Tavington.

Tavington rose up from the bed where he was sitting on and walked over to Cornwallis to owe him an explanation, which he knew Cornwallis would not to happy about but the Green Dragoon obviously had a mind of his own. Catherine quickly moved away from him and walked over to the doctor. "Excuse me," she softly spoke, "would you be so kind to give me some of that white cloth."

The doctor cut a long strand of cloth and folded it up. Catherine gave him a smile in return and dipped the cloth into a basin of water. After wringing out the water, she placed the cloth upon her cheek that continued to sear.


	5. A Friendly Conversation

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Whoa, I never thought of Cornwallis that way until you mentioned it. Hmm, that sounds like a good idea to use, thank you so much :) However, he won't be able to stop Tavington from getting his way. That's very true about Catherine but she's gonna have to toughen up real soon before she gets herself in trouble. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

* * *

Anna felt like they had been riding for hours but she was thankful to be in the hands of someone whom she trusted. Just ahead of them, she noticed how the Earth switched from the green grass into the pale color of sand. She craned her neck and looked over Gabriel's shoulder, where she noticed a small community filled with freedmen, women, and children. But the best part for Anna was that the community was set on the beach.

"Welcome to Shanty Town," Gabriel spoke and pulled on the reins of his horse. He jumped of his horse and grabbed Alice off of Anna's lap and put her on the ground. He held out his hand and Anna softly placed her hand on his as he helped her off the horse. "How do you like the place?" he suddenly asked her.

Anna gave him a shrug as a reply. "Well, it's different from Pembroke," she said as she flung her arm in front of them, referring to the seaside, "though I could go for a swim now."

Gabriel chuckled at her comment. "You are free to do whatever you wish. Everyone here is friendly and they know our family."

"I'm starting to feel welcomed already," Anna said. She looked ahead of her and noticed a woman, probably in her late twenties, with curly blond hair, blue eyes, and a porcelain doll-like face approaching them. Anna looked at the woman and then at Gabriel. "Is that your aunt?"

"Yes," Gabriel answered with a smile when she approached them, "hello Aunt Charlotte," he greeted her as she wrapped him in her arms and pulled him close.

"Why Gabriel," her voice, to Anna, was as sweet as honey, "I didn't expect you to come back so soon." She couldn't be happier to see him. The last time she had seen Gabriel was days ago, when he married Anne Howard but the next day he had left with his father to continue fighting in the war. The two pulled away from each other and Charlotte turned her attention to the two young girls standing in front of them. "And who might you be?" she asked with a warm smile.

Anna gave her a smile and said, "my name is Anna Smith and this is little sister, Alice," she put her hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Our town at Pembroke was raided by the British and we were captured. Thankfully, the militia saved us before it was too late. However-"

"What about Catherine?" Alice jumped into the conversation.

Anna clenched her hands into fists. One thing that she hated was being interrupted when she was in the middle of a conversation. "I was getting to that Alice," she said through gritted teeth along with a fake smile, "however, our sister Catherine was captured but Gabriel's father told us to rest here with you where we would be safe."

Charlotte walked up to the two sisters and took Anna's and Alice's hands in hers. "You are more than welcome to stay here with us. My deepest sympathy to your sister."

Hearing the name of that town, Gabriel glumly looked at the sand and he gave it a slight kick. Even thought she was not his mother, Charlotte could sense there was something amiss. She looked down at the two girls who were looking at her expectantly, "would you like to meet Gabriel's brothers and sisters?" she asked them.

Alice's eyes lit up. There were going to be kids around here that she could play with. Charlotte smiled at her and bent down to her eye level, "and I have a little niece who will be happy to play with you," she smiled as she lightly tapped her index finger on Alice's button nose, causing her to giggle. "They're at that small shack over there," she said and pointed to a shack that had two girls and three boys. Seeing that there were kids her age, Alice waited no longer and took off to meet them.

Anna clicked her tongue and cocked her head to the side. "And Catherine would have said 'don't run away,'" she mumbled under her breath as she walked over to the Martin children.

After the two girls were gone, Charlotte turned her attention to Gabriel. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Gabriel, is everything alright?"

Gabriel looked up at her and she could easily notice the water in his eyes. Charlotte's heart pounded for she expected tragic news about Benjamin Martin, the man whom she kissed during Gabriel's and Anne's after party. Gabriel sniffed and quickly ran the back of his hand over his nose, "we were riding back to Pembroke to visit families and I wanted to see Anne. On the outskirts of town, there was smoke coming out so we rode in there and we came upon the church that was burned to the ground. No one was in their homes...no one."

"Oh Gabriel," Charlotte sympathetically said as she gathered him in her arms and gave him a warm hug. She suddenly pulled away from him and placed her hands on his cheeks, " and the Howards?" Gabriel only gave her a sorrowful look, which was a big hint to Charlotte that Anne was a victim upon the church. "I am so sorry Gabriel," she said and gathered him in her arms once more.

"She is gone," Gabriel said and looked up at his aunt through his tears, "first mother, then Thomas, then Anne," his voice shook and he frivolously shook his head, "how many more people, people that I love, are going to die?"

Charlotte shook her head and whispered, "no, no," and stroked his blond hair as if he was just five years old.

"And I tried to get to him, the man that killed Anne and he almost killed me!" he snapped, "God, if only I had killed him I would avenged her death!"

Charlotte stared in his eyes, in a loss of words. _I would have been devastated if he was killed _she thought. "Come," she led him towards the Martin children, "you need to rest."

Susan, Margaret, Nathan, Samuel, and William looked up, jumped to their feet, and ran over to Gabriel where they surrounded him with five brotherly and sisterly hugs. Anna put an arm over Alice's shoulders and smiled when she saw the loving family embracing one another. Then her smile gradually faltered when she thought about her own family. After her mother's and father's deaths, Catherine was there for them but not in a motherly way. Sure she would feed them, help them with chores, and tuck them into bed but whenever Alice or Anna would ask to do something fun, she would easily get irritated. Part of Anna wished that she could be away from Catherine and do whatever she please. Now that she had the wish, she didn't seem to enjoy it as much.

* * *

Catherine let out a sigh and rubbed her arm with her other hand. Thankfully, she was alone in the tent but she knew that this loneliness was not going to last. Might as well make the best of it. She bought her hand forward and opened the tent flap where she was met with greenery and the warmth from the sun. There were a few British soldiers roaming about and the majority of the Dragoon had gone to probably raid other towns. Turning her head to the left, she noticed a group of white daisies. At least there was a little something that she could enjoy while being trapped here.

She approached the daisies and sat down on the grassy ground. Her hands swam through the delicate flowers and she slowly began to pluck out each daisy one by one until she formed a small bouquet in her hand. _Maybe I'll make a little crown if I remember correctly _she thought. She took the stems of the two daisies and tied them together. "That's not right," she mumbled under her breath and threw those two daisies to the side.

"You were always an admirer of flowers," a voice said behind her that made Catherine jump in her place. Thankfully, the voice belonged to an American.

"What do you want?" she asked, without turning her head to look at Wilkins. She picked up another daisy and began to gently pet its white petals. The last thing she wanted now was to be bothered by him.

"I just wanted to check how you were doing," he answered her question.

_Oh joy _she sarcastically thought. _You weren't so concerned these past few...oh I don't know, years! _"I am doing swell," she said, her back turned on him, "because there is nothing that I enjoy the most by being held captive by an Englishman who, might I add, raided my town and ordered you to burn the church," she fiercely plucked out a couple of petals from a daisy and watched them drop on her dirty white dress.

Instead of leaving her there, Wilkins approached her to the side and sat down beside her. "Catherine, please try to understand that I didn't have a choice."

"I will never understand it James," she answered in an irked tone of voice, "you did have a choice before. It was being loyal to your country or not. You chose the wrong path and became of Loyalist. You betrayed everyone. Your neighbors, your friends," she sniffed and turned her head and looked at him straight in the eyes, "you betrayed me."

"I only-what happened to your face?" he asked and squinted at the bruise that rested under her eye.

Catherine shook her head. "Never mind that," she dismissed his question. "I thought you were a better man James, but I believe I have been wrong all this time." She was about to pull herself off the ground but he quickly grabbed her hand with this and she stopped. Her eyes traveled to his hand and then to his eyes. His touch was soft, just like the time he had touched her when they had met. Nevertheless, the passion that she had for him, her parents were never enthusiastic about it, let alone Anna whom Catherine believed was too young to understand about love.

"I may be a Loyalist but I never stopped caring about you," Wilkins softly spoke.

She was astonished at his statement. Her heart started to pound rapidly and she could feel heat rising to her cheeks. _This is wrong _she thought as she turned her reddened face to look at the patch of untouched daisies. "Did you care about those people burning in the church?"

Those words broke him. He was devastated when he threw that flaming torch towards the church and heard the screams of the innocent men, women, and children burning in there. "I was ordered to do it," he said, "there was nothing I could have done."

"Maybe you could have thrown the torch at the Colonel's face," she mumbled under her breath and pulled her hand away from his touch.

He chuckled at her comment. "And get hanged?"

"Would you stop thinking about yourself?" Catherine snapped at him, "why not? Plenty of people have been hanged during this God forsaken war. Maybe they wouldn't mind hanging a Loyalist to add to their collection."

He couldn't tell whether she was serious or just teasing him. Whatever the case was, he was just happy that she was speaking to him. He reached over to the patch of daisies and plucked out one particular daisy that had a hint of pink pigment on it. "You might as well add this to your collection," he said as he got up from the ground, "it's one of a kind," he turned his back on her and walked away. "Like you."


	6. Recollection of the Past

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Ohh things might get a little steamy between them in future chapters. Let's hope that Tavington won't interfere but I'm not making any promises on that. A****s for the jewels, she might still have feelings that she won't show to him, but eventually he might catch on. A**nyway, enjoy the chapter :) 

* * *

Anna's hand swiped through the sand as she picked up a handful and let it drip between her fingers. Shanty Town wasn't like her hometown with the many people she was acquainted with but at least she and Alice were safe. However, she didn't feel as secure being here. Of course the Martins were a kind family but Anna had the sense that they might soon be discovered. _You know what? _Anna scolded herself as a pain shot through in her stomach. _Mr. Martin said that we would be safe here so there is nothing to worry, right? __What about Catherine? _She let out an exasperated sigh and got up from the sandy Earth. Who in their right mind would hide behind a tree? That tree wasn't even big enough to hide her body! _Hopefully you are alright _she thought about her sister _and I hope you come back soon to us. __  
_

She folded her arms on her chest and walked about Shanty Town. Anna heard little high pitched giggles as she turned around and noticed Alice acquainting herself with Susan Martin. Anna's lips titled into a half-smile and walked over to the two young girls. "Hello," she greeted them and bent down to their eye level. "You must be Susan."

Susan looked at her and then at the sandy ground. Even though she had started to speak, she was still a little shy around others. "Yes," Alice answered for her, "and she's my new friend."

"I'll leave you two to it then," Alice said and walked away from the two little girls.

After Anna was gone, Alice turned her attention back to Susan. "I really like your doll," she pointed to the porcelain doll that Susan held, "what's her name?"

"Elizabeth," Susan answered. "Auntie Charlotte gave it me. She said that it belonged to my mother and I named my doll after her." She looked at the doll that Alice was holding and motioned with her head. "What about your doll?"

"Dorothy," Alice turned the doll's face so Susan could look at it. "It belonged to Catherine. Her name used to be Christina but I changed it to Dorothy. That was my mother's name."

"Where is your mama?" Susan curiously asked.

Alice only gave her a small shrug. "I don't know," she meekly answered, "I have never seen her."

"My mama always comes out at night," Susan said, "she's at the North Star and I always look up at her. Maybe your mama is with mine."

Alice's lips titled into a small smile. "And they might be good friends."

* * *

In the shack, Gabriel let out an exasperated puff of breath as he lifted himself from his bed cot and swung his legs off the bed and into the sandy ground. Charlotte had advised him to rest but after what he had been through, he couldn't. Once he closed his eyes, he relieved the same exact moments of his brother Thomas getting shot, the church burning, the death of his fellow colonists, and his deadly encounter with Tavington. He didn't want to be outside for the time being so he grabbed his saddlebag and pulled out the ripped American flag that he had been working on. Before, the American flag was a ripped mess and ever since he had tried to sew it back together. He had been making progress thus far and hoped to finish it before the war was over.

He pulled out a needle and thread from his bag, swung the American flag across his lap and began to sew the ripped pieces back together. Sewing helped him keep his mind off the tragedy that he had encountered. His mind was only concentrated on the sharp needle piercing through the fabric and joining the pieces back together. He didn't think about the war, family deaths, or Tavington. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door and his head shot up and looked at the door. "Come in," he said.

The door opened and Anna's head peeked inside. "Your aunt said you were here," she said and walked inside the shack, "I'm surprised you aren't resting."

"I couldn't," Gabriel answered.

"I don't blame you," Anna said and approached him. She sat on the cot next to him and held the ripped pieces of fabric into her hands. "I love our flag," she said with admiration. "Where did you find it?"

"I found it months ago when I was with father in our infantry and it was dirty and ripped. I thought of taking it and sewing it back together again," Gabriel answered and continued to sew.

"Why do I feel like that British must have ripped it?" Anna sarcastically asked, "oh wait a minute, because they are burning half of South Carolina." Her hand reached into Gabriel's saddlebag and pulled out a sharp needle and thread. Without Gabriel's consent she started to sew the American flag. "I will help you sew this."

"Thank you," Gabriel said, "and when we are finished with it, we can deliver it back to my father."

"I have this feeling that we _will _win this war," Anna said with enthusiasm.

"We shall see," Gabriel said, even though he had to admit that he shared the same feeling as Anna.

"There's no 'we shall see,'" Anna shook her head, "we will and we will burn those British troops to the ground like the did to us!"

Gabriel looked up at her with an amused smile. "Getting a little fiery there?" he jokingly asked her.

"Please I was about to explode hours ago," Anna said, "starting when they raided our town and burned down out church and our house." She pierced the needle through the fabric, only having it pierce her skin. "Ouch!" she yelled and jumped as she swung her hand from under the flag and looked at her injury. She noticed a pearl of blood seeping out of her finger. "I should be more careful," she dismissed the injury and continued to sew.

"Sorry," Gabriel apologized, "maybe I shouldn't have bought it up."

"I'm glad you did," Anna said, "if I were a boy I would have joined the revolution and I wouldn't have let any of them come near me."

When she said that, Gabriel's mind thought about the past. Before the war, him and his brother Thomas couldn't wait to be old enough to enlist and fight for their country. Once he encountered the battles, the blood and the gore, and the deaths he wished that he had not joined but he had to be committed to his country. Ever since he had enlisted, he blamed himself for being the one to put his family in danger. He father had told him numerous times not to join but he had. If he hadn't joined, he would still be with his father and Thomas would still be alive.

"By the way," Anna broke him out of his inner thoughts, "I haven't seen Thomas. Where is he?"

It was as if she was reading his mind. The two had been briefly acquainted at Charleston and once they had departed, Thomas couldn't stop talking about her. "He uh," Gabriel struggled to tell her about his younger brother. He cleared his throat, "our house was raided by the Dragoons and they were going to take me prisoner. My brother ran to save me but he was shot."

The needle pierced through the fabric and into Anna's skin once more. She didn't yelp at the pain but she mashed her lips together. She lifted her head and looked at Gabriel, "what?"

Gabriel didn't repeat his words but only looked at her.

"Who shot him?" she asked.

Gabriel noticed her voice cracking and her hands beginning to shake. "Tavington."

Anna took a deep breath and tightened her fists. She got up from the cot and walked over to a small window and looked out. Gabriel looked after her, not daring to ask her how she was or giving her any positive comments that Tavington was going to get killed. Anna rubbed her arms with her hands and took in a deep shaky breath. Then, she ran her hands over her eyes and managed to turn around and look at Gabriel. "Damn them," she hoarsely said, "may they all burn in hell!" She marched back to the flag and began to furiously sew.

Gabriel noticed the red smudges on her skin and he little water that lingered in her eyes. "You really liked him, did you?"

Anna sniffled at wiped her eye. "It was our first meeting at Charleston. We were with Catherine because she wanted to witness the voting on the levy of the Continental Army. What a joke! She only wanted to go there to see that stupid man!"

"Wilkins?" Gabriel interrupted her.

"Whatever his name is," Anna snapped, "anyway, after the voting Catherine briefly spoke with Anne and then went to speak to Wilkins. Having no one to talk to, I accidentally bumped into him and...we started talking."

Gabriel chuckled. "When we rode back home, he couldn't stop talking about you," he told her and he noticed a hint of red color on her cheeks.

"It seemed a little sudden but I had this feeling of my heart racing when I first saw him. It was something that I had never experienced before," Anna explained as her lips grew into a wide smile.

"It's called love Anna," Gabriel said matter-of-factly.

"Gee thanks, I thought I was going through a heart attack," Anna fired back with sarcasm and commenced her sewing. "I am truly sorry about Thomas," she finally said.

"As am I," Gabriel added with a nod of his head. He felt a hand on his and looked up at Anna who tenderly stared back at him.

"We will get through this," she said with assurance, "there will be casualties, my father was one of them, but we will never forget them. And I will never forget my father, Thomas, or Anne," she said and squeezed his hand.

"Never will I," he squeezed back her hand. "It must have been tragic to hear the news about your father."

This is where Anna would have made a sarcastic remark. Instead she said, "it was. Mother got sick because of it. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep. She got sick and then died. I tried to take care of her and everything but she just died in my hands."

"Didn't your sister help you?" Gabriel asked her.

Anna knitted her eyebrows at the thought of that event. She shook her head and clenched her jaw. "My sister was so stupid. My parents never approved of her being with Wilkins but she had a mind of her own. When father died, of course she was devastated but she went over to Wilkins. She couldn't even be in the same room with our dying mother because she wanted to be with Wilkins."

"Maybe she loved him," Gabriel said and sewed another piece of fabric of the flag.

"But my parents didn't approve. Then he turned his back to the country and became a Loyalist, the bastard," Anna cursed under her breath.

"Anna," Gabriel said in shock at her use of language.

"Oh don't you dare lecture me about what to say. He's a betrayer and a bastard and I can't believe that Catherine was so stupid to be with him in the first place. When she heard about him, she ran back home and cried for forgiveness. Father was not there and nor was her mother. Who was she apologizing to? Me. I told her to go and be with him since she wanted to but she said no. Now she's in the hands of those Dragoons and they're doing God knows what to her," Anna's voice increased as she spoke.

Gabriel nodded his head at her words. "I do agree that it was foolish what he did."

"He only did it to save his own ass!" Anna shouted. Gabriel whipped his head and looked at her with a shocked look in his face at her use of language. Anna held her hands in the air and turned her head to the side, "it's true and for that, he should be ashamed as well as Catherine, who was foolish enough to be with an idiot like him."

Without saying another word, Gabriel turned his attention back to the flag. "Don't worry Anna," he said, "justice will be served."


	7. Catherine's Savior

**I don't own The Patriot**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Heh, no one should get on Anna's bad side XD Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Heat. Fire. And the screaming from within. He roughly planted his hands onto her waist and swung her towards the fire as if she was a ragged rag doll. The fire consumed her but it wasn't enough to kill her straight away. She screamed in agony when the fire began to scorch her arms and the rest of her body as quickly as it could. Just as quickly as the fire ate her, her screaming halted. All she saw was darkness.

Catherine loudly gasped and sat straight up from the bed cot. She looked at her surroundings and was relieved to find herself alive. "What a nightmare," she whispered as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead.

"A nightmare indeed," a smooth voice said causing Catherine to jump in her place and gasp. Turning her head, her eyes made contact with none other than Colonel William Tavington. "You wouldn't stop tossing and turning."

With a confused look on her face, Catherine slowly removed the covers from her body and lifted herself from the bed. "H-how long have you been here?" she asked.

"Long enough to hear you murmuring in your sleep," he simply answered.

Her eyes lowered to the ground and she rubbed her arm with her hand. She slightly turned her back to him and hoped the he would just turn around and walk out of the tent.

His cold blue eyes narrowed towards her. He quickly marched over to the girl, roughly grabbed her shoulders, and spun her around to face him. "You have no right to turn around like that towards me," he hissed and his hand squeezed her shoulder, enough to make her wince in pain.

Seeing her in pain satisfied him. He had to admit that this American woman had a certain charm to her. Her face lingered with softness and innocence, enough for him to corrupt those features. His hand suddenly released her shoulder and he felt her body relax. "Tell me Ms. Smith," he spoke. He held to fingers under her chin and lifted her head so she looked at him, "are you married by any chance?"

Catherine swallowed. "No," she choked out, "I have never been married."

Tavington's eyebrows lifted when she said that. "Never married," he repeated, "that is quite a shame. How old are you?"

Catherine cocked her head to the side. _Why do you need to know_? she was curious to ask but she learned that it was better to just answer him and avoid being slapped. "Twenty-five," she answered.

He placed a hand on his chin and scanned her figure from head to toe. "Twenty-five and never married," he repeated her words, "I am surprised that a pretty girl like you is in such a predicament. For a moment there, I thought that you were married off to a colonist."

_I should have done that when I had the chance _she bitterly thought. At least a colonist was loyal enough to his country and wouldn't become a loyalist. Why hadn't she listened to her parents when they warned her about Wilkins? The thought of it, the fights she had with her mother and father, and the betrayal was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She pulled away from Tavington and turned her back towards him, expecting to be grabbed and spun around.

Tavington raised an eyebrow at her action. "What's the matter?" he asked in an unconcerned tone of voice, "did your lover die?"

"When he betrayed me," she found herself saying. Quickly, she placed a hand over her lips and regretted the moment those words slipped out of her mouth. It was none of his business to learn about her past life so why was she slipping out her past, as well as her love life to this monster?

His lips lifted into a smirk. "Betrayed you?" he asked and took a step forward towards her, "how? Did he find himself another woman? Someone much prettier than you?"

The back of her head shook at his question. Should she say it? "He's dead to me now," she hoarsely answered, "he means nothing." Deep down, when Wilkins gave her that pink daisy she felt her stomach flip and her heart beat. Could it be that even though he had become a Loyalist, he still cared about her after all this time? "Never mind," she shook her head, "I don't quite know."

"Conflicted emotions I see," Tavington said and he took a last step until he was close enough to her, "how about," he gently placed his hands on her hips, which caused her to jump in place, "relax," he whispered in her ear when she jumped, "how about I take your mind off him, hmm?"

She shivered when his hands slithered from her waist and up her torso. Her head leaned back against his shoulder and she took deep breath through her nose. "No," she said as she took his wrists and pulled them away from her body. She turned around and faced him, "I can't do it."

Tavington straightened himself and placed his hands to his side, "you cannot do it because you still care about him, correct? How can you still care about a dead colonial?" When she didn't answer, Tavington grabbed her shoulders and spun her around once more. "He is alive, is he not?" he could sense that she was lying by the look in her eyes. Deep into her eyes, he noticed a little sparkle when he mentioned about her lover.

"He could be," Catherine answered.

That riddled answer did not satisfy him. With anger, her swung her to the right and she fell to the ground. "Tell me the truth, yes or no."

Why was she being so secretive about Wilkins anyway? It wasn't as if Tavington was going to murder someone who was part of the Dragoon army. "Yes he is alive," she finally answered.

"His name," he ordered in an authoritative tone of voice.

Catherine struggled to release his name. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to say anything. What would Tavington do to him? She didn't want to responsible for someone else's suffering but now that she thought about it, he had made her suffer too. Catherine lifted her head from the ground and looked up at Tavington. "It's none of your concern," she regretted saying it the moment his hand lifted in the air and made contact with her face. Her hand slipped from the ground and her whole body fell to the ground.

"It is my concern if he is a colonist," Tavington said, "you are making it easier for me to find him and murder him in front of you."

_Just like you are threatening my sisters _she wanted to yell at him. "You can threaten me all you want," Catherine said and slowly lifted herself from the ground, "but you will never figure out who he is."

He took a step close and looked down at her. "We shall see," he said in a low voice, "I have ways of making you talk."

At that moment, Catherine took a step away from him. She didn't know how many encounters this man had with women or if he was by any chance involved with many of them but by the actions that he did to others, Catherine did not want to be a part of that. "I'm sure you do," she whispered, soft enough so he couldn't here.

Tavington noticed her lips move but he couldn't hear her words. His hand lashed out and grabbed her throat and gave it a tight squeeze. "Listen here and listen well," he hissed, "I don't want you to make any side comments when you are around me. Understood?"

"Tavington!" a voice snapped from within the tent.

Tavington released Catherine's throat and whipped around to see General Cornwallis standing there with a scowl in his voice along with General O'Hara. Cornwallis's eyes bounced from Tavington and then at Catherine who was rubbing her assaulted neck. "You call yourself a gentleman but that's not way to treat a young lady," he snapped at the Colonel.

"I apologize my lord," Tavington spoke with a nod of his head, "but this young lady here was not cooperating with me."

"That is not a good excuse Colonel," Cornwallis told him. Then he turned his eyes over to Catherine and gently spoke to her, "are you alright dear?"

"I am fine," Catherine assured him with a small smile.

"Captain Wilkins mentioned that a certain young lady was being held here," Cornwallis said as he approached Catherine, "he did not give me a real reason but I assume that this might be your work Colonel Tavington," he said and turned his eyes towards the blue-eyed Colonel.

Tavington gave him a nod, "it is my lord."

"Why might I ask?"

"I assumed she would tell us about Benjamin Martin's whereabouts," Tavington answered, "just like you wanted to."

"But it is not humane to keep a young lady in such a condition," Cornwallis said and waved his hand towards Catherine's dirty flesh and dress, "you can question her at my headquarters where she will be kept."

Tavington clenched his jaw and repeatedly squeezed his fists, away from Cornwallis's gaze. "Come with me my dear," Cornwallis gently said to Catherine with an assuring smile. Catherine reluctantly placed her hand onto Cornwallis's palm as he led her out of the tent and into the cool night air. Before them stood three horses. A white horse for Cornwallis, a brown horse for O'Hara, and a black horse with a Green Dragoon and Catherine recognized.

"You will be riding with Captain Wilkins," O'Hara told her and mounted himself on the horse.

Catherine looked from O'Hara and then at Wilkins that was mounted on the horse. He held out a gloved hand and she gently placed hers on the palm of his hand. She placed her foot on the stirrup and Wilkins grabbed both of her hands with his until she was mounted behind him. "Hold on tight," he told her. He pulled onto the horse's reins.

The horse stood on it's back hooves and on instinct, Catherine gasped as she wrapped her arms around Wilkins's waist and pulled him close to her. The horse landed its front hooves onto the ground and followed after Cornwallis and O'Hara. Catherine turned her head to look at the British infantry and she swore that she saw Tavington's eyes on her and the man that she was with.

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**A big thank you to Guest who gave me the idea of Cornwallis being Catherine's helper.**

**Also, I am very bad with locations. I tried to find some information about Cornwallis's headquarters at what part of town they were in where Benjamin visited and where he held the party. If anyone knows, thank you so much in advance :)**


	8. Worries and Lies

**I don't own The Patriot.**

**I'm gonna warn people here right now that the second section of the story is VERY dumb. So be warned!**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review and for the names of the locations! Hahaha, yes! I'm pretty sure Tavington would have done such a thing, if one is turning his back to the king and country.**

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Anna's fingers ached in pain from the nonstop sewing. She felt like she had sat in the shack for hours and managed to finish the shape of one white star. "If you're tired, you can go outside for a little while," Gabriel suggested when he noticed her letting out a sigh and the red mark that were tattooed on her white flesh.

"I'll be fine," she sighed, "a little sewing never hurt anybody. OW!" she yelped and jumped when the needle stabbed her finger, "must I do that again!" she snapped and shook her finger in the air. "That's the tenth time!"**  
**

Gabriel reached into his bag and ripped a piece of fabric. He took her index finger and wrapped the white bandage around the injured spot. Anna murmured a thank you and surveyed her fingers. Every single finger, except her thumb, were wrapped with bandages. "Mother has taught me how to sew, but yet I can't do it!"

"It takes practice," Gabriel told her, "my mother never taught me how to sew but I learned some tactics from Margaret."

Anna gave him a smile. "You have a wonderful family Gabriel," she told him, "everyone just helps one another. They are not isolated from each other, minding their own business but they work together and are there for each other." She swallowed when she thought about her relationship with her sisters. Ever since her mother's death, everything bothered Anna. Alice, even when she did the most innocent action, bothered her and so did Catherine's isolation from the family. Hopefully, after these events they were going to reunite once more as a sisters.

Gabriel smiled at her comment. "I'm sure your family is wonderful too."

Anna snorted at his comment. Her smile gradually disappeared as she looked up at him and said, "I have not been the perfect sister to Alice and Catherine," she admitted.

"No one is," Gabriel told her. "I have not been the perfect brother."

"Hopefully, when this war is over we will reunite again," Anna clasped her hands together and squeezed them as well as her eyes. "I already lost a mother and a father. I don't want to lose a sister," her voice shook as she spoke those words.

Sensing her discomfort, Gabriel placed his hand on her back and gave it a soft rub. Before he knew it, Anna flung herself onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just want her back," she sobbed and squeezed him. She pulled away from him and pleadingly looked at him. "Tell me that we'll get her back!" her voice shook when she spoke and tears escaped her eyes.

This sudden change of attitude surprised Gabriel. Even a person that possessed a tough personality, they still had emotions running through them. Gabriel held out his arms and gently wrapped them around her body in a brotherly fashion. "It's going to be alright," he assured her, "she will be alright."

Anna sniffed and ran a hand over her eyes. "God, I hate crying," she said but then added a laugh at then end. "I hope so too. It's been a couple of hours and I miss her already."

"Thomas died a year ago and I miss him everyday," Gabriel spoke.

Anna turned her eyes and gave him a sympathetic look. She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "He will never be forgotten," she told him with a reassuring smile.

Gabriel reached to the ground and picked up the corner of the American flag. "I'm ready to call it a night. Aunt Charlotte and the others will be here soon to sleep."

Anna reached down and picked another corner of the American and they carefully folded the fabric until it was a miniature thick rectangle. As Gabriel stuffed the flag into his bag someone banged on the door, causing Gabriel and Anna to jump. Gabriel turned his head to look at Anna and made his way to the door. He pushed the door open and found Susan by the doorstep. Her blue eyes were wide, her small mouth agape, and her breathing was quick.

Gabriel knelt to the ground and placed his hands on Susan's shoulders. "Susan what's wrong?" he asked her.

"Alice and me were playing when a boy took her doll and threw it in the water," she quickly spoke, "she ran after the doll and she's in the water."

Anna's eyes widened as she flew out the door and into the cold night air. A crowd of townspeople were gathered by the seaside but Anna pushed them out of her way until her feet made contact with the cold water. She scrunched her eyes and squinted at the small body that was held in the arms of a freedmen. The man approached Anna with a sympathetic look on his face. Her eyes bounced to her sister, who held the wet doll in her arm. "Oh Alice," Anna gently spoke and put her hand on Alice's wet head.

Once she touched her sister, Alice squeezed her eyes and slowly opened them. Relief washed over her when Alice responded to her touch. "Give her to me," Anna held out her arms and held onto Alice, "we need to take her inside and keep her warm." She ran past the townspeople, past Gabriel, and into the shack where she sat Alice down on the bed.

Alice's teeth were clattering against one another. "A-A-Anna I'm c-c-cold."

"I know, I know," Anna quickly spoke, "we need to get you out of those clothes and dry you off." She quickly stripped her sister from wet clothes and covered her with whatever warm blankets she could find. "I'm going to take these to the fireplace to dry off. Stay here," she told her sister and was out the door. _Dear God why do these things have to happen to me_? she thought as she found a fireplace and set the clothes onto the sand, near the warm flames.

She turned her head to the side when she heard Gabriel's footsteps walking towards her. "How is she?" he asked her.

"Wet and cold," Anna answered matter-of-factly, "I need to keep her warm as much as I could. Who was the little wretch that did this to her?"

"I'm sure he meant no harm," Gabriel tried to calm her down, "they're just children wanting to play."

Anna mashed her lips together and took a deep breath through her nose. "Oh yes, there is nothing better than throwing someone's doll into the sea and having her chase after it where she might have drowned!" she yelled.

Gabriel took a step away from her as if she was going to attack him. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I shouldn't have been inconsiderate."

Anna didn't say another word. She put her hand on her sister's dress and turned it to the other side to dry.

* * *

Wilkins pulled on the reins of his horse when they arrived at Cornwallis's headquarters at Fort Carolina. Catherine was amazed at how immense the building was compared to her home in Pembroke. Cornwallis, O'Hara, and Wilkins dismounted themselves from the horses. As she expected, Wilkins held out his hand and she placed hers on top of his.

"Welcome to Fort Carolina," Cornwallis welcomed her as if she was being treated as a guest rather than a prisoner. She followed Cornwallis into his headquarters and she was welcomed by a decorative sight. The headquarters were beautifully decorated with different styles of carpet, drapes, and furniture that she had not been in contact with before. "Now my dear," Cornwallis turned his eyes to her, "I will arrange a new attire for you," he said as he looked up and down at her, "as well as a servant to take care of you for the time being."

Catherine nodded her head at his propositions. "Thank you, sir," she replied in a meek voice.

"As for a private room for you, they are occupied by the Dragoons," Cornwallis continued, "however, I will let you share a room with Captain Wilkins when we have a room for you in order."

Catherine's eyes grew wide at his suggestion. _No! _she wanted to yell. As much as she hated the fact that she had to share a room with a man she loathed, her subconscious thought otherwise. With that said, she gave him a nod of her head. At least she wasn't sharing a room with Tavington. After the last few encounters with him, he gave her goosebumps.

Cornwallis gave her a smile and looked at Wilkins. "Show her to your room please," he said.

"Yes sir," Wilkins nodded and turned his attention to Catherine, "right this way Ms. Smith," he said and placed his hand on her back and led her to the left side of the corridor. The two of them stopped by a white door and he placed his hand on the doorknob and pulled it open. The door swung open and Catherine came upon the room that belonged to Wilkins.

There was one bed with covers made out of silk, a decorative carpet that elegantly laid on the floor, a window with blue satin fabric that allowed the moonlight to enter through, a blue armchair, and a series of houseplants that served as decorations in the room. "It's not much but I hope you will be comfortable," Wilkins spoke.

Catherine slightly turned her head and gave him a smile. "It's fine," she answered. "Will you be heading back to the infantry?"

"Normally at this time the Dragoons arrive here to rest until the next morning," Wilkins told her.

Catherine only nodded her head. "Where will I sleep?"

"On the bed of course," Wilkins answered her, "I can arrange sleeping on the floor."

She gave him a shrug even though a part of her did not want him to do that. "Whatever you wish," was all she said. She floated over to the window and looked out at the night sky while Wilkins took a couple of pillows and put them on the carpet. On the outside of the headquarters, Catherine noticed a couple of Green Dragoons making their way towards the building. Her eyes widened and she turned around to look at Wilkins. "Do you have a key?"

"Uh yes," he answered, "why do you need it?"

"Lock the door," she told him. He stood there with a puzzled look on his face until Catherine insisted once more. He grabbed a golden key from a nightstand next to the bed and locked the door. "What's going on?" he asked and placed the key back to where it was.

Catherine only shook her head. "Nothing," she said, "I always locked my door back home. It made me feel more protected," she lied. She turned her attention back to the window but none of the Green Dragoons were there. They probably made their way inside the headquarters and she couldn't help but think that one of them was wondering where she was.

"Catherine," Wilkins approached her. He held his hand to touch her shoulder but then pulled it back. "Is something bothering you?"

Catherine clasped her hands in front of her and took a deep breath. She turned around and looked at him. "I'm just worried about my sisters," she lied once more. "That is all."

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**A big thank you to Guest and JScorpio for the location names :D**


	9. Be Careful What You Say

**I don't own The Patriot.**

**I also used a Lion King quote here. See if you guys can find it :D**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Oh good question. I think he would have told Cornwallis about their acquaintance but not the intimate relationship that he has with her. Only as a family friend or something like that. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

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The days seemed to pass very quickly for Anna when she spent them with the Martin family. Everyone was so nice with one another and it made Anna feel like she was part of their family. Even though the children were younger than her, she loved taking care of them. Susan would pay hourly visits to Alice, who stayed in bed for a full week for she was sick due to the incident. Anna would always stay by her sister's side but Gabriel also helped her out whenever she needed assistance. To top it all off, the flag was almost finished.

Gabriel sewed the last bit of a white star and laid down his needed on the bed. "And we are finished," he announced and pulled the flag off Anna's lap and held it at arm's length. "What do you think?" he asked her.

Anna looked up and down at the flag. "I think it's beautiful," she said. "You did a very good job."

Gabriel gave her a small smile. "You did a good job too but..." he dragged out the word and watched Anna's facial features change from ecstatic to dissatisfaction, "you're sewing skills need a little more work," he added as he held part of the flag close to her eyes showing her a clump of thread.

"Says the boy..." Anna began to stopped herself. Gabriel teasingly raised an eyebrow. "Says the boy who...oh whatever!" she snapped and flapped her hands in the air. "The important thing is that we successfully managed to finish the flag. Now we can go and give it to your family."

Gabriel carefully folded the flag and let it hang from his arm. "_I_ will go and give it to father. You will stay here until I get back."

Anna knitted her eyebrows together and placed her hands on her hips. "Why you?" she challenged him. "I worked on this flag just as much as you did and I deserve to come with you. Plus, I would like some adventure...if you don't mind," she added and hoped for him to agree with her.

"No," Gabriel responded, "it's too dangerous out there."

"Dangerous my aunt's backside," Anna fired back and was delighted to see the shocked expression on Gabriel's face. "I walk on the wild side and I laugh in the face of danger." She knew that these words were a lie. If she had been so brave, she wouldn't have hidden in the closet when Catherine told her to.

"Anna," Gabriel slowly spoke, "no."

"Gabriel," Anna used the same tone of voice, "I will come and that is final. Don't make the situation worse or I will tell your aunt at what you are planning."

Gabriel's jaw dropped. "Are you blackmailing me?"

"Call it what you want sweetheart but I am coming with you and that is final," Anna emphasized as she folded her arms across her chest and looked at Gabriel.

_Oh God _Gabriel mentally sighed. It's like he was arguing with the female version of Thomas. He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a gun. "You are going to need this, in case we run into any British soldiers."

Anna looked and the gun and reluctantly took it in her hands. "Whoo," she breathed, "it's a little heavy." Her lips widened into a smile when she held the gun. This was her first time ever handling a gun and she felt an adrenaline rush within her when she held it.

Gabriel on the other hand did not noticed her excitement. With Anna's minor threat he thought that Aunt Charlotte deserved to know where he was going to go. After all, she was the one who was taking good care of Samuel, Nathan, William, Susan, and Margaret. He pulled out a piece of parchment paper, a feathered quill, and black ink. He dipped the quill into the ink and wrote

_Gone to see father but I will be back soon. Please do not worry for me. Anna came along too. _

_Gabriel._

"Ready to go?" he asked when he placed the note on the table.

"First," Anna spoke, "where do you expect me to put this?" she asked and held the gun close to him, "because I am not going to put this under my skirt."

Gabriel took the gun from her and stuffed it inside his saddle bag. "I will give it to you if there's danger, now come on. We don't have much time." With that, the two teenagers left the shack, with a sleeping Alice, and headed towards Gabriel's horse.

"Won't your aunt find out that the horse is missing?" Anna asked when the two arrived.

"What do you want me to do?" Gabriel asked her, "find another horse to take it's place?"

Anna raised an eyebrow, "no need to get all sarcastic it was just a question," she said and swung her leg over the saddle and sat behind Gabriel.

Gabriel pulled on the horses reins, turning the horse around, and they proceeded to their destination. "Plus, I wrote a note to my aunt describing our whereabouts," he told her. "Looks like your little blackmail threat worked."

"Well it should've," Anna laughed and slapped his arm, "now do you know where your father's campsite is?"

"It's going to take a while to get there," Gabriel vaguely answered, "but we'll be back home before dinner."

"Wonderful," she answered and looked at the landscape ahead of her. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any British soldiers. If Anna knew better, she would have stayed at the shack taking care of her sister. A pang of guilt ran through Anna's chest when she thought about it. Alice seemed to have been doing well today, among the other days but Anna didn't have such a good feeling about her condition. Every night, she would get down on one knee and next to her sister, she would pray for her to get better.

* * *

Catherine felt the days were moving slowly as she spent her days locked up in her bedroom. Cornwallis was finally kind enough to arrange her own room with a servant but she had to admit that she missed staying in the same room with her former lover. Not that they had an intimate moment but it was nice to be with someone that she used to be acquainted with.

The door to her room suddenly opened and she jumped in her seat. Her servant, a snappy old woman named Gertrude, walked inside without even knocking and began to lay the clothes that were made for Catherine. "Thank you," Catherine answered with a smile but Gertrude only murmured under her breath and scurried out of the room.

Catherine thought she heard the old woman say _filthy traitorous American bitch _but she dismissed the thought. Gertrude was the least of her problems but at least she was "kind" enough to provide Catherine with some clean clothes. She got up from the vanity mirror and looked at the dresses in front of her. _I think I'll wear the blue on today_ she thought and grabbed the carefully sewed dress. She undressed from her white satin nightgown and threw her white petticoat over her body and then slipped on the blue dress. The sleeves one covered half of her arm while the other was completely exposed! If her father saw her now, he would have given her one good lecture about her choice of wardrobe.

If her only her sisters were with her now, they would have loved this. Well Alice was too young to understand so she would have enjoyed it nevertheless but Anna would have refused. Catherine suddenly perked at the thought of her sisters. A week had passed since they were departed and she had not even bothered to go looking for her sisters. She knew well enough that if she left, she would be transported back to these headquarters but she needed to know about her sisters.

With each passing day, she hoped that they were somewhere safe and well. If only she had the tendency to ask someone to go looking for her sisters to make sure if they were alright. She sighed and turned the doorknob and walked out of her room. Cornwallis was kind enough to allow her to go outside but her time was restricted to an hour and as far as the flower field, under his wishes and to Tavington's agreement.

She walked down the steps of the headquarters and walked outside where she felt the sun's morning rays hitting her face. A couple of soldiers and Dragoon who were preparing to fight some militiamen looked as she carefully and quickly passed by them and disappeared into the filed filled with thick greenery and flowers.

The grass tickled against her bare feet as she ran through, enjoying every second of her limited freedom. Without caution, a red jacket appeared in front of her and she bumped into the person. "Oof," she grunted and fell to the ground from the impact.

"Well, well, well," the person turned around and looked at her sprawled on the ground. Catherine used her hands to support her torso from the ground but when she looked up, it was none other than the devil himself. He towered over her, making her feel uncomfortable to stand up on her feet.

His light blue eyes scanned from her new blue dress to her revealed arms, her bare feet, and the ankle that peeked out from beneath her petticoat. "Are you always this wild?" he asked her and Catherine's eyes widened at his question.

"What do you mean?" she asked and finally found the courage to stand up to her feet.

"Such a silly question," he spoke in a teasing voice and took a step close to her. Catherine instinctively took a step back and shook. "A wild one like you should be confined in her room, not roaming free into these fields filled with many, many men."

"But your General said it was alright and you agreed," she reminded him as if he was suffering from memory loss.

"I know, I was there," he told her in an exasperated tone of voice, "I might agree with the General but that does not mean that he is always right."

Catherine turned to walk back to the headquarters, thinking that she was under the impression to do as she was told. He held out his gloved hand, grabbed her arm, and swung her around to look at him. "I am not finished with you yet," he said. "See, just last night you mentioned something about your lover. You refused to tell me who he was but I am under the impression that he is part of Benjamin Martin's militia. Now," he cupped her chin in his hand and she felt his thumb graze her cheek, "will you reveal him to me?"

Her breathing increased and it made it difficult for her to speak. "His name is..." she spoke but stopped herself.

"You are testing my patience," he said through gritted teeth.

"His name is Dan, Dan Scott," she cursed the moment those words flew out of her mouth. She didn't even know him, only his name. She had always found him disgusting back at Pembroke.

Tavington straightened his shoulders and looked closely at her. "That's him?" he asked her, "he doesn't seem like the type that has much class. Why am I under the suspicion that you are lying to me?"

"Why do you really need to know?" she asked him, "it does not matter if he is dead or in the Continental Army. He has nothing to do with me anymore!"

"Sir," a voice said behind them as Tavington looked up and Catherine turned her head to look. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw Wilkins standing there. "The Dragoons and soldiers are ready."

"Thank you Captain," Tavington smirked, walked past Catherine, and disappeared through the thickets of grass.

Wilkins looked from Tavington and then at Catherine. "James," she said and took a step towards him but when she did, he quickly walked away from her.


	10. Encounter in the Forest

**I don't own The Patriot.**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! You found the quote! Anna went all Simba there for a second. Hmm, we'll see if Anna and Gabriel come into contact with any Brits. True about Catherine however there is someone that she can turn to, but as you stated, he is a little mad at her now. Enjoy the chapter :D**

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Anna asked in a monotone voice, which seemed to Gabriel for the umpteenth time. An hour after they left from Shanty Town, Anna constantly asked the same question every thirty minutes.

Gabriel heaved a sigh and whispered, "almost." Ever since they had started to ride, Gabriel felt the horse's footsteps becoming slower as it walked. He looked ahead of him and noticed a flowing creek with water. Seeing that the tortured animal needed a time to rest, he pulled onto the reins and the horse halted.

"Why are we stopping?" Anna asked when Gabriel's feet landed to the ground. He reached towards the horse's bit and pulled it over to the creek where it bent down it's head and drank the cool water. "Oh good idea," Anna said and she jumped off her horse and ran to the creek. Taking off her shoes, she dipped her feet onto the cold water and felt a cool calmness wash over her. She felt the end of her dress dissolving in the creek's moisture but she could care less about her outfit.

Gabriel's lips formed a malicious smirk and he slowly approached Anna. He softly placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her push. Anna screamed and fell into the cold water. Water made it's way into her mouth and nose as she sat up straight and sputtered the water out of her mouth. She glared when she noticed Gabriel laughing at what had happened to her. "Gabriel Martin I am going to kill you!" she yelled and sprang to her feet.

Gabriel continued to laugh as Anna chased after him with her bare feet and wet dress. He ran deep into the forest and turned his head only to see that Anna was gaining speed. "Okay, okay," he held up his hands and sank to his knees in surrender when she cornered him to a tree, "I was just trying to have some fun!"

Anna grabbed a handful of her dress and wrung it over Gabriel's head. Droplets of water escaped from the fabric and onto his golden locks. Anna unruffled her dress and gave him a satisfied smirk, "and that was me having fun," she said. Then her smile disappeared, "do you always like to pull these sort of jokes on others?"

"I did them to my brother all the time," Gabriel smiled at the mention of Thomas and the jokes that they pulled onto each other. Then his smile faltered when he realized that he had pulled a joke on Anne. "Even on Anne. When we were eleven, I poured black ink in her tea and it turned her teeth black for a month." He bowed his head and secretly smiled at the mention of the joke. It was a little amusing during that time, especially when Anne screamed at the sight of her colored teeth.

Anna let out a scoff. "You do that me and you won't have any teeth left," she said in a warning tone of voice and wiped her dirty hands on her dress. "Now, I think the horse is well rested, shall we go and give the flag to your father?"

Gabriel held out his hand towards her but Anna only looked at it. "No, after that last joke I am not going to grab your hand and expect you to throw me over your shoulder and to the ground," Anna said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on doing that," he told her and helped himself off the ground. He walked ahead of Anna and she followed him out of the forest. Gabriel suddenly held out his arm and stopped her from walking. Anna looked up at him and then at what he was staring at. Her eyes widened when she noticed a group of Green Dragoons circling around Gabriel's frightened horse.

"Get behind me," Gabriel whispered and Anna immediately obeyed. She craned her neck and peeked over Gabriel's shoulder to see what was happening.

Tavington reached over to the saddle bag and held it in his grip. He turned the bag upside down and the contents fell to the ground. One object in particular fell straight into the creek and absorbed the moisture. Tavington raised an eyebrow and held up the wet American flag into his hands. His lips titled into a smirk and looked at the others surrounding him, "scan the forest," he ordered, "some militiamen might be lurking about." He extended his arm towards a Green Dragoon and handed him the flag. He gave him a cold stare and ordered, "burn it."

"Oh hell no," Anna whispered under her breath. She took a step forward but Gabriel immediately blocked her from walking any further. "Gabriel," she hissed under her breath when he stopped her, "they are going to burn the flag! We can't let them do that!"

"Sir," another Dragoon called the Colonel's attention and Gabriel and Anna immediately turned their heads, "what should we do with the horse?"

"Save it for the Dragoons," Tavington told him. "The rest of you search around the forest if there are any of Martin's militiamen." Under his order, the Dragoons rode into the different parts of the forest. One of them started to come directly at Gabriel and Anna.

"Damn it," Gabriel cursed under his breath. He pushed Anna ahead of him and urgently yelled, "go! We need to hide!"

Anna ran as quickly as her feet could carry her. Without looking back, she ran deeper into the forest until she found a large rock that stood in the middle of two trees. She flew towards the rock and hid in there. "Gabriel," she breathed, "we made it." No answer. "Gabriel?" she looked around her but Gabriel was nowhere to be found. Cautiously, she craned her neck and looked over the rock but he was not there.

_Oh please let him be alright_ she thought. Letting out a gasp, she hid behind the rock when she heard a horse's footsteps coming towards her. Anna placed a hand over her mouth to block her panting and tried to remain as quiet as she could. _I wish I had a gun with me_! she mentally yelled _not that I would use it_. When there was no sound, she slowly craned her neck to check but he was still there. _Damn it just leave already_! she wanted to yell, _these twigs are killing my feet_!

Then, she felt something crawling on her feet. Anna let out a loud gasp and shook her leg in the air to get rid of whatever was crawling on her foot. She pulled her leg closer but found nothing there. "And who might you be?" a voice asked. Anna slowly looked at the shadow on the ground and then at the person standing over her with a pistol pointed at her head.

_Oh damn _she thought but tried not to show any fear, even though she was terrified on the inside. She slowly stood on her feet and clenched one hand into a fist, "none of your concern," she said through clenched teeth. Her eyes bounced over to the pistol and then at the Dragoon. Her hand lashed out and grabbed the pistol.

His grip tightened on the pistol and she tried to pull it off him. "Stop! Stop!" he ordered but she continued to thrash around. He held out his arm and gave her a strong push.

Oof!" Anna grunted and fell to the ground on her side. She scrunched her eyes and glared at him, "now is your chance," she said through gritted teeth, "shoot."

However, he lowered his pistol and stood over her. "I could never do that," he said, "especially to someone's sister."

Anna's eyes widened at the sudden realization at who this Dragoon was. Her eyebrows knitted together and clenched her teeth. "It's you!" she spoke and dug her nails deeper into the Earth. She slowly stood up on her feet and stared at him, "the one who burned the church!" she yelled.

Wilkins placed his hand on her mouth and pushed her over to a tree. Anna staggered back and moaned when her back made contact with the wood. She held out her hands and dug them into his arm but he didn't remove his gloved hand from her mouth. "Stay quiet," he harshly whispered to her, "if they hear you out here, they will kill you!"

Anna looked at his straight in the eyes. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth and she gasped, "why are you telling me this? Aren't you one of them?"

_Am I_? he thought. "You have to get out of this forest," Wilkins ignored her question, "the others are not too far behind."

"Where do you expect me to go? On a tree?" Anna asked and flung her arm to a tree behind him.

"I will give you my horse," Wilkins told her, "but you need to get out of here!"

Anna was surprised at his unexpected offer. Didn't the Loyalists hate the colonists? "How do I know that you won't report this to that blue-eyed Colonel of yours?" she asked.

He wished that she would stop asking questions and just leave. The more she stalled for time, the more vulnerable she became for the Dragoons. "I just need you to trust me," he told her, "I have done enough damage to your sister and-"

"My sister?" Anna gasped, "what has happened to her?"

"She's fine," he assured her.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked.

"I will always make sure of that," he told her, "now go, they're coming!" he snapped and pushed her towards his horse. Anna staggered forward and looked at the horse. "I'll help you," he offered but Anna held her hand in the air.

"I don't need your help," she said and placed her foot on the stirrup and lifted herself onto the horse. "Great," she whispered under her breath and held the reins in her hands, "if I fall off, I am coming after you," she threatened Wilkins and pulled the horse's reins. "Haaaa," Anna shuddered when the horse stood on it's hind legs and ran into the forest.

Wilkins's watched Anna disappear into the distance. He gasped when he heard another thundering footsteps running towards him. At that moment, Wilkins took his pistol, pointed it on his shoulder, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Gabriel's head turned to the left when he heard the sound of the pistol. _Oh God, please don't let that be Anna_ he thought and pulled his own pistol for protection. He slowly walked away from a tree that he was hiding in and pointed his pistol in front of him but no one was there. He slowly proceeded into the depths of the forest but quickly hid behind a tree when he heard footsteps running towards him.

"Whoa boy," a female voice was heard and Gabriel peeked out from behind the tree. His eyes widened in surprise when he noticed Anna sitting on a horse's saddle. Anna noticed Gabriel's golden hair and looked at him with a smile. "I got us a horse," she said and held up the reins.

Gabriel slowly walked out from behind the tree and approached her. "How?" he asked.

"I'll explain on the way," Anna told him, "but look," she reached into Wilkins's saddle bag and held the soaked American flag in her hands, "safe, wet and sound."

Gabriel slowly shook his head, "I-I-I don't know what to say," he answered as he placed his foot on the stirrup and sat in front of Anna. "Now we can go to father."

"Yes," Anna agreed, "and hopefully we won't have any of those Dragoons stopping us," she said and they continued to their destination.


	11. A Smile makes everything Better

**I don't own The Patriot.**

**Guest: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely review! Hahaha, I'm glad you enjoyed that bit! A little bit of comedy there. Yeah, looks like Wilkins showed his loyalty to Catherine when he saved Anna, let's hope she appreciates it. We'll see her expression much sooner! Enjoy :)  
**

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Wilkins sucked the air through his teeth and let out a groan when a sharp pain traveled through his shoulder. He removed his hand and noticed his glove stained with his own blood. At least the bullet had traveled through his shoulder but it created enough damaged that made it painful to move his arm. He took his pistol into his grip and clawed through the dead leaves to create a small chasm. He placed the pistol into the chasm and covered it with the dead leaves in the same place as they were. He let out another groan when another rush of pain swept through his shoulder. He clutched it and leaned against a tree trunk and sat there until he could regain his strength to move again.

Once he regained his strength, he slowly rose to his feet only to hear a horse's thundering hooves. He expectantly looked up when the noticed the horse's hooves in front of him. On the horse, a Green Dragoon soldier was mounted on his horse but seeing Wilkins's face in pain, he jumped off the horse and ran over to him. "What happened man?" he approached Wilkins.

Wilkins squeezed his hand upon the wound. "I was shot," he said, "I encountered a colonial and he shot me on the shoulder, took my horse and everything."

"Let me see," the Dragoon said and removed Wilkins's hand from the wound. His blood slightly oozed from the wound and stained onto his red coat. "That looks like a nasty wound," he commented and reached into his saddlebag, pulled out a piece of white bandage, and placed it upon Wilkins shoulder. "Keep that on and we'll transport you to the infantry."

Wilkins placed his hand upon the wound and followed the Dragoon out of the forest until they came upon a group of Dragoons that were gathered around Tavington. The colonel heard the soft gallop of the horse's hooves and turned around only to see a fellow Green Dragoon soldier and Wilkins. He turned his horse around so he could face the two soldiers and slowly galloped towards them. "What happened?" he asked them.

"He said that-" the Dragoons began but was interrupted by the colonel's abrupt snap.

"Were you there?" the colonel asked as he turned his cold blue eyes towards the young Dragoon who immediately shut his mouth, "then let him speak." He turned his head and nodded at Wilkins.

Wilkins knew that the words that were going to escape his mouth were going to be nothing but lies. In addition, he knew that from Tavington's sixth sense he was going to be caught in his lies.

"I am waiting for your answer Captain," Tavington said in a cold voice.

Wilkins swallowed and dared to look at the Colonel straight in the eyes. "I was in the forest looking for any colonists," he began, "and I encountered one but sh-he was too quick. Before I drew my pistol, he shot me and before I knew it, he took every possession that I had." When he finished he could do nothing but stare at the colonel who remained quiet for two agonizing seconds.

Tavington straightened himself and gave the reins a pull. "Transport him to the infantry and then back to headquarters," he told the young Dragoon that had found Wilkins in the forest.

Wilkins, on the other hand, felt a huge weight off his shoulders. Not only did he manage to save Anna but he also saved himself.

* * *

After their encounter with the Dragoons, Anna and Gabriel were taking another small break while the horse recuperated from the long journey. The wet American flag was hanging from a tree branch that Gabriel had put there to dry. "So let me get this straight," Gabriel started and turned his eyes to Anna who was soaking her feet into the cold creek. "You actually came in contact with a Dragoon and he didn't arrest you?"

Anna held onto her dress to avoid from getting wet and gave a quick shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah," she answered, "look why are we even worrying about this? It's over, we're safe."

But Gabriel didn't feel that they were safe. What if the Dragoon had already told Tavington that they had fled? Would Tavington be after them? "Did you see his face?" Gabriel insisted.

Anna rolled her eyes to the sky and shook her head. She whipped her head around and said, "yes I did. He had deep blue eyes, a large jawline, an idiotic Loyalist, and is from South Carolina. Happy?"

"Why didn't you tell me that it was Wilkins?" Gabriel snapped, "I have been worried that Tavington would be after us."

Anna softly chuckled at his outburst. She let go of her dress and let it fall into the creek and walked out of the cool water. "I was just as surprised as you were but it was my lucky day." She walked over to the horse and softly ran her hand over its muzzle. The horse reacted to her touch and affectionately pushed her arm with his muzzle. "I think he's ready," she announced to Gabriel and he walked over to her.

Gabriel placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up on the horse, "up you go," he said and placed Anna on the saddle.

Anna had a surprised look on her face but it them turned into a glare. Gabriel placed his foot on the stirrup and lifted himself onto the saddle and grabbed the horse's reins. Anna raised a fist in the air and slammed it upon Gabriel's arm. "Hey!" he snapped and rubbed his arm with his other hand.

Anna held her index finger to him and said, "don't ever do that again. I can get myself onto the horse by myself."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and shook his head. He thought that he was being a gentleman but if Anna didn't appreciate it, then he was not going to bother about it. Giving the reins a pull, the horse shook its head into the air and galloped through the forest. For the rest of the journey and back, he hoped that they wouldn't come in contact with any Dragoons or British soldiers. Even if they did, it was good that he was prepared to face them. During their first contact with the Dragoons and when he split up with Anna to hide in the forest, he wished he hadn't suggested that they hide at different parts of the forest. Although he had to admit that he was relieved to have found her safe.

Anna stayed quiet throughout the journey. Her mind traveled back to her encounter with Wilkins. He had told her that her sister was safe and he had finished with 'I will always make sure of that.' Did he still care after what he had done to her? Anna hoped that her sister's feelings weren't mutual. Then again, she thought her sister had made some of the dumbest decisions in her life but this was something that she had to do right. She couldn't possibly fall in love with him again. _And what about us_? Anna thought _wouldn't her decision also affect our lives_? Although she was flattered that he helped her but that wasn't enough for Anna to start trusting him again._  
_

Anna shook her head at the thought and turned her attention to Gabriel who was focused on getting them to camp. "So are we there yet?" she asked the same question that pestered Gabriel through half of their journey.

"Anna," Gabriel softly spoke, "I will tell you when you get there. Be a little patient."

When Anna opened her mouth to speak, a bullet ricocheted from a tree behind them which was enough to scare their horse. The horse whinnied and stood up on it's back legs. Gabriel held tightly onto the reins but Anna was thrown off the horse and fell to the ground. "Ugggh," she groaned and placed her hand behind her head, "that's the first time that's happened." She softly lifted herself off the dusty ground and looked ahead of her.

A man stood in front of them with a rifle held in his hands. "Whoa Dan," Gabriel jumped off the horse and held his arms in the air, "it's me."

The militiaman, Dan lowered his rifle and squinted through the sun. "By God it is," he said when Gabriel and Anna approached him. He turned his eyes to Anna and motioned with his head, "who's the girl?"

"Someone shared the same hometown with you Mr. Scott," Anna replied when she approached him. She held out her hand and shook his, "Anna Smith."

Dan Scott gave a slight nod when he realized who she was. "Ahhh," he said, "thought you looked familiar." He had seen Anna a couple of times at church back in Pembroke with her sister but never went up to talk with them. He turned his attention back to Gabriel, "so what brings you here Martin?"

"I need to see father," Gabriel told him, "I have something that I want to give him in person."

Dan Scott slightly shrugged his shoulders. "I can take you two to the camp and you can wait for him there. He took a couple of militiamen to hunt down some of them redcoats. I don't know when he will be back though."

Gabriel gave him a nod and looked back at the saddle bag that hung from the horse. He needed to deliver the flag to his father. It was a symbol of America and freedom and with that symbol, he knew that they were going to successful and win this war. "We will wait." With that, Dan Scott jumped on his horse as Gabriel and Anna followed him to camp.

* * *

In the British infantry, a doctor gently tended Wilkins's shoulder wound. He flinched each time the doctor's hand touched the wound. "Just stay still," the doctor mumbled as he dabbed the wound with some cotton, "I am almost finished." With one last dab, the wound was wrapped around with a bandage. "Now you're free to go," the doctor said and began to gather his supplies to tend to another wounded soldier.

Wilkins slowly moved his wounded arm as he buttoned his shirt and red coat. He walked out of the tent and came upon the sun setting into the distance. The rest of the Dragoons would be arriving back to headquarters to inform Cornwallis of their encounters with the colonists. He had to debrief the General of his own encounter but he knew that would have to lie once more.

With a sigh he walked over to a spare horse that the Dragoons had collected during their raids and climbed on it. He gave the reins a sharp tug and the horse galloped away from the infanrty and back to Fort Carolina.

While riding, he thought about his encounter with Anna. At first, he was surprised to have found her in the forest. What was she doing there anyway? Where was Alice? He didn't have knowledge that she was with Gabriel so he was slightly worried about her. What if she was dead right now? He couldn't bring himself to tell that to Catherine. Oh and there was Catherine. Why was she even talking with Tavington during this morning? When he heard her say _he has nothing to do with me anymore _his heart rate increased and he didn't know how to react. He saw her sympathetic look but walked away from her. Maybe she still hated him and didn't event want to look at his face.

_This is the last time _he thought. He was going to tell her about Anna and that was going to be the last encounter that he was going to have with her. He pulled the reins and the horse halted when they approached Fort Carolina. He led hos horse back into the barn and walked into the headquarters. He didn't notice the other Dragoons. He thought that they were on their way or if some of them had already arrived and were resting.

He walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Catherine's room. He raised a fisted hand in front of the door and hesitated to knock. Taking a deep breath, he knocked three times and waited.

Footsteps shuffled towards the door. "Who is it?" Catherine's voice whispered.

"It's me. James," he answered and heard the doorknob turn. Catherine's face peeked out from the doorway and she motioned for him to walk into her room. Wilkins took a step forward and gently shut the door behind him.

Catherine stood a good distance from him and looked at him. "Yes," she finally said.

_Just tell her and leave _he thought. He clenched his hands when he soaked in all her facial feautres. Her wide brown eyes, those curls, her bow-shaped lips. _She doesn't deserve me _he thought. Taking a deep breath he said, "I saw your sister at the forest."

Her eyes opened wide when he said that.

"At first, we thought that it was a militiaman but I was the one that found her," he said.

"Is she alright?" Catherine asked.

He swallowed and said, "yes. I gave her my horse to get out of the forest. I don't know if she was with anyone but I had to make sure that she got out."

"And Alice?"

He only shook his head, "I didn't see her with Anna."

Catherine sighed and placed a hand over her eyes. If Anna was alive then Alice had to be alive too. She knew well that Anna wouldn't let anyone get in her way or even harm her younger sister. Recovering from the surprise, she turned her eyes to Wilkins. "Thank you," she said and her lips streached into a small smile.

Wilkins gave her a nod and turned towards the door. He grabbed the doorknob with his gloved hand but stopped. She had finally smiled to him after all this time. Turning around, he marched up to her, placed his hands on her face, and planted his lips onto hers.

Catherine eyes grew wide at his reaction. She felt his hand wrapped around her waist and pulling her closer to him. He slowly pulled away from her and noticed her flushed face and a few tears streaking her cheeks. He reached out and dried them with his thumb.

Catherine slowly shook her head, "after all these years," she hoarsely spoke, "and you still know how to kiss."

That was a better answer than he expected. He placed his hand onto the doorknob. "I should probably..." he mumbled and walked out the door.

Catherine leaned her back against the door and sank to the ground with a smile on her face.


End file.
